diff options
Diffstat (limited to '43264-h/43264-h.html')
| -rw-r--r-- | 43264-h/43264-h.html | 6659 |
1 files changed, 0 insertions, 6659 deletions
diff --git a/43264-h/43264-h.html b/43264-h/43264-h.html deleted file mode 100644 index ad5738f..0000000 --- a/43264-h/43264-h.html +++ /dev/null @@ -1,6659 +0,0 @@ -<?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?> -<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC '-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.1//EN' 'http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml11/DTD/xhtml11.dtd'> -<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<head> -<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /> -<meta name="generator" content="Docutils 0.8.1: http://docutils.sourceforge.net/" /> -<style type="text/css"> -/* -Project Gutenberg common docutils stylesheet. - -This stylesheet contains styles common to HTML and EPUB. Put styles -that are specific to HTML and EPUB into their relative stylesheets. - -:Author: Marcello Perathoner (webmaster@gutenberg.org) -:Copyright: This stylesheet has been placed in the public domain. - -This stylesheet is based on: - - :Author: David Goodger (goodger@python.org) - :Copyright: This stylesheet has been placed in the public domain. - - Default cascading style sheet for the HTML output of Docutils. - -*/ - -/* ADE 1.7.2 chokes on !important and throws all css out. */ - -/* FONTS */ - -.italics { font-style: italic } -.no-italics { font-style: normal } - -.bold { font-weight: bold } -.no-bold { font-weight: normal } - -.small-caps { } /* Epub needs italics */ -.gesperrt { } /* Epub needs italics */ -.antiqua { font-style: italic } /* what else can we do ? */ -.monospaced { font-family: monospace } - -.smaller { font-size: smaller } -.larger { font-size: larger } - -.xx-small { font-size: xx-small } -.x-small { font-size: x-small } -.small { font-size: small } -.medium { font-size: medium } -.large { font-size: large } -.x-large { font-size: x-large } -.xx-large { font-size: xx-large } - -.text-transform-uppercase { text-transform: uppercase } -.text-transform-lowercase { text-transform: lowercase } -.text-transform-none { text-transform: none } - -.red { color: red } -.green { color: green } -.blue { color: blue } -.yellow { color: yellow } -.white { color: white } -.gray { color: gray } -.black { color: black } - -/* ALIGN */ - -.left { text-align: left } -.justify { text-align: justify } -.center { text-align: center; text-indent: 0 } -.centerleft { text-align: center; text-indent: 0 } -.right { text-align: right; text-indent: 0 } - -/* LINE HEIGHT */ - -body { line-height: 1.5 } -p { margin: 0; - text-indent: 2em } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.title, .subtitle { page-break-after: avoid } - -.container, .title, .subtitle, #pg-header - { page-break-inside: avoid } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { text-align: justify } - -p.pfirst, p.noindent { - text-indent: 0 -} - -.boxed { border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em } -.topic, .note { margin: 5% 0; border: 1px solid black; padding: 1em } -div.section { clear: both } - -div.line-block { margin: 1.5em 0 } /* same leading as p */ -div.line-block.inner { margin: 0 0 0 10% } -div.line { margin-left: 20%; text-indent: -20%; } -.line-block.noindent div.line { margin-left: 0; text-indent: 0; } - -hr.docutils { margin: 1.5em 40%; border: none; border-bottom: 1px solid black; } -div.transition { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -.vfill, .vspace { border: 0px solid white } - -.title { margin: 1.5em 0 } -.title.with-subtitle { margin-bottom: 0 } -.subtitle { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -/* header font style */ -/* http://dev.w3.org/csswg/css3-fonts/#propdef-font-size */ - -h1.title { font-size: 200%; } /* for book title only */ -h2.title, p.subtitle.level-1 { font-size: 150%; margin-top: 4.5em; margin-bottom: 2em } -h3.title, p.subtitle.level-2 { font-size: 120%; margin-top: 2.25em; margin-bottom: 1.25em } -h4.title, p.subtitle.level-3 { font-size: 100%; margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; font-weight: bold; } -h5.title, p.subtitle.level-4 { font-size: 89%; margin-top: 1.87em; margin-bottom: 1.69em; font-style: italic; } -h6.title, p.subtitle.level-5 { font-size: 60%; margin-top: 3.5em; margin-bottom: 2.5em } - -/* title page */ - -h1.title, p.subtitle.level-1, -h2.title, p.subtitle.level-2 { text-align: center } - -#pg-header, -h1.document-title { margin: 10% 0 5% 0 } -p.document-subtitle { margin: 0 0 5% 0 } - -/* PG header and footer */ -#pg-machine-header { } -#pg-produced-by { } - -li.toc-entry { list-style-type: none } -ul.open li, ol.open li { margin-bottom: 1.5em } - -.attribution { margin-top: 1.5em } - -.example-rendered { - margin: 1em 5%; border: 1px dotted red; padding: 1em; background-color: #ffd } -.literal-block.example-source { - margin: 1em 5%; border: 1px dotted blue; padding: 1em; background-color: #eef } - -/* DROPCAPS */ - -/* BLOCKQUOTES */ - -blockquote { margin: 1.5em 10% } - -blockquote.epigraph { } - -blockquote.highlights { } - -div.local-contents { margin: 1.5em 10% } - -div.abstract { margin: 3em 10% } -div.image { margin: 1.5em 0 } -div.caption { margin: 1.5em 0 } -div.legend { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -.hidden { display: none } - -.invisible { visibility: hidden; color: white } /* white: mozilla print bug */ - -a.toc-backref { - text-decoration: none ; - color: black } - -dl.docutils dd { - margin-bottom: 0.5em } - -div.figure { margin-top: 3em; margin-bottom: 3em } - -img { max-width: 100% } - -div.footer, div.header { - clear: both; - font-size: smaller } - -div.sidebar { - margin: 0 0 0.5em 1em ; - border: medium outset ; - padding: 1em ; - background-color: #ffffee ; - width: 40% ; - float: right ; - clear: right } - -div.sidebar p.rubric { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-size: medium } - -ol.simple, ul.simple { margin: 1.5em 0 } - -ol.toc-list, ul.toc-list { padding-left: 0 } -ol ol.toc-list, ul ul.toc-list { padding-left: 5% } - -ol.arabic { - list-style: decimal } - -ol.loweralpha { - list-style: lower-alpha } - -ol.upperalpha { - list-style: upper-alpha } - -ol.lowerroman { - list-style: lower-roman } - -ol.upperroman { - list-style: upper-roman } - -p.credits { - font-style: italic ; - font-size: smaller } - -p.label { - white-space: nowrap } - -p.rubric { - font-weight: bold ; - font-size: larger ; - color: maroon ; - text-align: center } - -p.sidebar-title { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold ; - font-size: larger } - -p.sidebar-subtitle { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold } - -p.topic-title, p.admonition-title { - font-weight: bold } - -pre.address { - margin-bottom: 0 ; - margin-top: 0 ; - font: inherit } - -.literal-block, .doctest-block { - margin-left: 2em ; - margin-right: 2em; } - -span.classifier { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-style: oblique } - -span.classifier-delimiter { - font-family: sans-serif ; - font-weight: bold } - -span.interpreted { - font-family: sans-serif } - -span.option { - white-space: nowrap } - -span.pre { - white-space: pre } - -span.problematic { - color: red } - -span.section-subtitle { - /* font-size relative to parent (h1..h6 element) */ - font-size: 100% } - -table { margin-top: 1.5em; margin-bottom: 1.5em; border-spacing: 0 } -table.align-left, table.align-right { margin-top: 0 } - -table.table { border-collapse: collapse; } - -table.table.hrules-table thead { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 2px 0 0 } -table.table.hrules-table tbody { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 2px 0 } -table.table.hrules-rows tr { border: 1px solid black; border-width: 0 0 1px } -table.table.hrules-rows tr.last { border-width: 0 } -table.table.hrules-rows td, -table.table.hrules-rows th { padding: 1ex 1em; vertical-align: middle } - -table.table tr { border-width: 0 } -table.table td, -table.table th { padding: 0.5ex 1em } -table.table tr.first td { padding-top: 1ex } -table.table tr.last td { padding-bottom: 1ex } -table.table tr.first th { padding-top: 1ex } -table.table tr.last th { padding-bottom: 1ex } - - -table.citation { - border-left: solid 1px gray; - margin-left: 1px } - -table.docinfo { - margin: 3em 4em } - -table.docutils { } - -div.footnote-group { margin: 1em 0 } -table.footnote td.label { width: 2em; text-align: right; padding-left: 0 } - -table.docutils td, table.docutils th, -table.docinfo td, table.docinfo th { - padding: 0 0.5em; - vertical-align: top } - -table.docutils th.field-name, table.docinfo th.docinfo-name { - font-weight: bold ; - text-align: left ; - white-space: nowrap ; - padding-left: 0 } - -/* used to remove borders from tables and images */ -.borderless, table.borderless td, table.borderless th { - border: 0 } - -table.borderless td, table.borderless th { - /* Override padding for "table.docutils td" with "!important". - The right padding separates the table cells. */ - padding: 0 0.5em 0 0 } /* FIXME: was !important */ - -h1 tt.docutils, h2 tt.docutils, h3 tt.docutils, -h4 tt.docutils, h5 tt.docutils, h6 tt.docutils { - font-size: 100% } - -ul.auto-toc { - list-style-type: none } -</style> -<style type="text/css"> -/* -Project Gutenberg HTML docutils stylesheet. - -This stylesheet contains styles specific to HTML. -*/ - -/* FONTS */ - -/* em { font-style: normal } -strong { font-weight: normal } */ - -.small-caps { font-variant: small-caps } -.gesperrt { letter-spacing: 0.1em } - -/* ALIGN */ - -.align-left { clear: left; - float: left; - margin-right: 1em } - -.align-right { clear: right; - float: right; - margin-left: 1em } - -.align-center { margin-left: auto; - margin-right: auto } - -div.shrinkwrap { display: table; } - -/* SECTIONS */ - -body { margin: 5% 10% 5% 10% } - -/* compact list items containing just one p */ -li p.pfirst { margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 0 } - -.first { margin-top: 0 !important; - text-indent: 0 !important } -.last { margin-bottom: 0 !important } - -span.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.1em 0 0; line-height: 1 } -img.dropcap { float: left; margin: 0 0.5em 0 0; max-width: 25% } -span.dropspan { font-variant: small-caps } - -.no-page-break { page-break-before: avoid !important } - -/* PAGINATION */ - -.pageno { position: absolute; right: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.pageno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.lineno { position: absolute; left: 95%; font: medium sans-serif; text-indent: 0 } -.lineno:after { color: gray; content: '[' attr(title) ']' } -.toc-pageref { float: right } - -@media screen { - .coverpage, .frontispiece, .titlepage, .verso, .dedication, .plainpage - { margin: 10% 0; } - - div.clearpage, div.cleardoublepage - { margin: 10% 0; border: none; border-top: 1px solid gray; } - - .vfill { margin: 5% 10% } -} - -@media print { - div.clearpage { page-break-before: always; padding-top: 10% } - div.cleardoublepage { page-break-before: right; padding-top: 10% } - - .vfill { margin-top: 20% } - h2.title { margin-top: 20% } -} - -/* DIV */ -pre { font-family: monospace; font-size: 0.9em; white-space: pre-wrap } - -</style> -<title>THE PHANTOM AIRMAN</title> -<meta name="PG.Rights" content="Public Domain" /> -<meta name="PG.Title" content="The Phantom Airman" /> -<meta name="PG.Producer" content="Al Haines" /> -<link rel="coverpage" href="images/img-cover.jpg" /> -<meta name="DC.Creator" content="Rowland Walker" /> -<meta name="DC.Created" content="1920" /> -<meta name="PG.Id" content="43264" /> -<meta name="PG.Released" content="2013-07-20" /> -<meta name="DC.Language" content="en" /> -<meta name="DC.Title" content="The Phantom Airman" /> - -<link href="http://purl.org/dc/terms/" rel="schema.DCTERMS" /> -<link href="http://id.loc.gov/vocabulary/relators" rel="schema.MARCREL" /> -<meta content="The Phantom Airman" name="DCTERMS.title" /> -<meta content="airman.rst" name="DCTERMS.source" /> -<meta content="en" scheme="DCTERMS.RFC4646" name="DCTERMS.language" /> -<meta content="2013-07-20T17:17:00.330276+00:00" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.modified" /> -<meta content="Project Gutenberg" name="DCTERMS.publisher" /> -<meta content="Public Domain in the USA." name="DCTERMS.rights" /> -<link href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43264" rel="DCTERMS.isFormatOf" /> -<meta content="Rowland Walker" name="DCTERMS.creator" /> -<meta content="2013-07-20" scheme="DCTERMS.W3CDTF" name="DCTERMS.created" /> -<meta content="width=device-width" name="viewport" /> -<meta content="EpubMaker 0.3.20a7 by Marcello Perathoner <webmaster@gutenberg.org>" name="generator" /> -</head> -<body> -<div class="document" id="the-phantom-airman"> -<h1 class="center document-title level-1 pfirst title"><span class="x-large">THE PHANTOM AIRMAN</span></h1> - -<!-- this is the default PG-RST stylesheet --> -<!-- figure and image styles for non-image formats --> -<!-- default transition --> -<!-- default attribution --> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="clearpage"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="align-None container language-en pgheader" id="pg-header" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the </span><a class="reference internal" href="#project-gutenberg-license">Project Gutenberg License</a><span> -included with this eBook or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<div class="align-None container" id="pg-machine-header"> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>Title: The Phantom Airman -<br /> -<br />Author: Rowland Walker -<br /> -<br />Release Date: July 20, 2013 [EBook #43264] -<br /> -<br />Language: English -<br /> -<br />Character set encoding: UTF-8</span></p> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-start-line"><span>*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE PHANTOM AIRMAN</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst" id="pg-produced-by"><span>Produced by Al Haines.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span></span></p> -</div> -<div class="align-None container frontispiece"> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<div class="align-center auto-scaled figure margin" style="width: 61%" id="figure-10"> -<span id="it-was-as-though-the-mighty-concussion-had-blown-a-hole-in-the-universe-page-245"></span><img class="align-center block" style="display: block; width: 100%" alt=""It was as though the mighty concussion had blown a hole in the universe."--*Page* 245." src="images/img-front.jpg" /> -<div class="caption centerleft figure-caption margin"> -<span class="italics">"It was as though the mighty concussion had blown a hole in the universe."--</span><em class="italics">Page</em><span class="italics"> </span><a class="italics reference internal" href="#id1">245</a><span class="italics">.</span></div> -</div> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container titlepage"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="x-large">THE -<br />PHANTOM AIRMAN</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">BY</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="large">ROWLAND WALKER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">AUTHOR OF "DASTRAL OF THE FLYING CORPS," "DEVILLE -<br />McKEENE, THE BRITISH ACE," ETC, ETC.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="medium">S. W. PARTRIDGE & Co. -<br />4, 5 & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.1</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<div class="align-None container verso"> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN -<br /></span><em class="italics small">First Published</em><span class="small"> 1920 -<br /></span><em class="italics small">Frequently reprinted -<br />This Impression issued</em><span class="small"> 1931</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CONTENTS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></p> -<ol class="upperroman simple"> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-secret-of-the-schwarzwald">The Secret of the Schwarzwald</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-wonder-plane">The Wonder 'Plane</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#tempest-of-the-aerial-police">"Tempest" of the Aerial Police</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-midnight-consultation">A Midnight Consultation</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-aerial-liner">The Aerial Liner</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#an-up-to-date-cabin-boy">An Up-to-Date Cabin Boy</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#a-duel-with-words">A Duel with Words</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#sons-of-the-desert">Sons of the Desert</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-phantom-bird">The Phantom Bird</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-brigand-of-the-eastern-skies">The Brigand of the Eastern Skies</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-air-king-s-tribute">The Air-King's Tribute</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-maharajah-s-choice">The Maharajah's Choice</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-missing-airship">The Missing Airship</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#betrayed-by-the-camera">Betrayed by the Camera</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#diamond-cut-diamond">Diamond cut Diamond</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-ghostly-visitant">The Ghostly Visitant</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-watchers">The Watchers</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#live-wires">"Live Wires"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-devil-s-workshop">The Devil's Workshop</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#hands-up">"Hands Up!"</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#the-coming-fight">The Coming Fight</a></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first noindent pfirst"><a class="reference internal" href="#an-aerial-duel">An Aerial Duel</a></p> -</li> -</ol> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-secret-of-the-schwarzwald"><span class="bold x-large">THE PHANTOM AIRMAN</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 3em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER I</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE SECRET OF THE SCHWARZWALD</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Rittmeister Heinrich von Spitzer, late -flight-commander in the German Air Service, -was one of the Prussian irreconcilables, who, -rather than submit to the peace terms enforced -by the Allies after the defeat of Germany, -resolved to become an aerial brigand, an -outlaw of the nations, and to wage a bitter -warfare of violence and plunder against his -late enemies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His proud spirit refused to bend before the -conquerors, for the iron shaft of defeat had -embittered his soul, particularly against -Britain, whom he had ever regarded as the -evil genius of the Entente.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One day, when his plans were well matured, -he unburdened his spirit to a couple of his -friends, kindred souls, men after his own -heart, both of them apt pupils of the great -Richthofen, who was still referred to by his -disciples as "the red airman." They had -been engaged that day in dismantling an -aerodrome on the edge of the Schwarzwald; -to them, at least, a hateful job.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Comrades," he said, "this peace has -ruined us. </span><em class="italics">Germania delenda est</em><span>, but I will -not sit still amid the ruins of the Fatherland. -Glorious we have lived, like kings of the air; -let us not inglorious die."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am with you, Rittmeister. I will -follow you to the gulfs," exclaimed one of his -companions, named Carl, who had been a -famous scout pilot in the Richthofen "circus," -and the lightning flashed from the young -airman's eyes as he spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But what can we do against the empires -of the world?" asked a Gotha pilot who had -raided the English towns a score of times.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For answer the chief turned a withering -look upon the last speaker and said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Max, you have faced death a hundred -times in the air, and over the British lines. -You have thirty enemy machines to your -credit, and yet you ask me what can we do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What of it, Rittmeister? Tell us what -is in your mind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen, then, both of you, and I will tell -you what still remains for brave men to do. -All is not lost while courage and hope remain," -and whilst he spoke the German chief drew -his two friends away from the half-dismantled -aerodrome on the southern edge of the -Schwarzwald, to a narrow path that led -amongst the trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the aerodrome was hid from view he -began to speak once more, huskily at first, as -though restraining some pent up excitement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am in possession of a secret," he said, -"which I may not tell even to you unless -you first swear to follow me on some great -adventure."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They both looked at him, not a little -amazed and bewildered, and neither spoke for -a moment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have chosen you," continued Spitzer, -"because I know you to be men of daring and -resource. You are both dissatisfied with the -condition of things in the Fatherland. Ach -Himmel! This occupation of the sacred -German soil by the Britisher, the Frenchman -and the American is breaking my heart. I -will endure it no longer, but I will strike a -blow at the enemy before I die."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As he spoke thus, he almost hissed out the -words which he uttered, for his voice had now -lost its strange huskiness, while his eyes -gleamed like the fierce glittering orbs of the -tiger about to make its spring from the hidden -jungle. Nor was his present madness without -its visible effect upon his two companions, -for he had strange powers of magnetic -influence, this Prussian Junker.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donner and Blitz, but you are right, -Rittmeister!" exclaimed Carl, the blood -mounting to his temples.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you, Max, what say you?" and the -chief fixed the Gotha pilot with his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ja! ja!" he assented. "I am with you also."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the end of this adventure is death!" -continued von Spitzer, speaking now more -deliberately. "This much I must tell you -in all fairness before I proceed further. -However much we achieve--and we shall -accomplish not a little--there can be no other -ending."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! we have looked too often into the -face of that monster to be afraid," returned -the scout.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You speak truly, Carl," replied the chief. -"When your machine went down in flames -near Cambrai, you passed so close to me that -I stalled my Fokker to let you pass, and I -saw the smile upon your lips that day as you -looked into the face of death. I never -expected to see you alive again, but you were -saved for this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, amid the gloom of the dark aisles of -the Schwarzwald, these two men swore to -follow their chief on this last great adventure, -as they had followed him during the darkest -days of the war.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now I will tell you the secret which -I hold, and which at present is known only to -two other men," said the Rittmeister, and, -sitting down about the gnarled roots of an -upturned tree, the two airmen listened to -the following story:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have heard me sometimes speak of a -great mathematician and engineer, by name -one Professor Weissmann," began von Spitzer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, we have heard of him," replied the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is the greatest living scientist; -moreover, he is a practical engineer, and during -the last four years he has devoted his time -entirely to designing, constructing and -perfecting with his own hands, assisted by one other -mechanic, a wonderful aeroplane, compared -to which neither the Allies nor the Central -Powers have anything to approximate."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donnerwetter, but why wasn't it ready -before?" exclaimed Max. "It might have -turned the tide of battle in the autumn of 1918."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's no use crying over spilt milk," -replied the chief. "It could not be completed -before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you say that this wonderful machine -is now ready," interposed Max, who had flown -every type of machine from a single-seater -scout to a heavy bomber, and whose -professional curiosity had now been thoroughly -awakened by the words of the German ace.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is ready, and what is more to the point, -it is at my disposal," returned the chief -briefly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Der Teufel! But where is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I can lead you to it, for it is less than three -miles from where we sit at the present -moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel!" exclaimed both the pilots, -springing to their feet. "Take us to see it, -Rittmeister; we have given you our promise."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Be calm, my friends; you shall see it -to-day. But let me put you on your guard. -You must not speak of it aloud, but only in -whispers, for the secret of this machine is -jealously guarded, and its whereabouts is -unknown, save to the professor, his assistant -and myself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Has it ever been flown?" ventured Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who was the pilot?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I was."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You, Rittmeister?" exclaimed the amazed airmen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you are satisfied at her -performances?" asked Carl, gazing steadfastly into -the eyes of his chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More than satisfied. She is the most -wonderful and responsive thing I have ever -flown. You will say the same when you have -seen her, and made a trip or two."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew! take us to see her now; I would -give ten years of my life to fly in her," said -Max, who was getting almost feverish in his -anxiety to see this wonderful thing and to -handle her controls; for such is the lure of -the air, especially to those who have climbed -into the azure and sailed amongst the clouds -in the days of their youth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You shall fly in her," replied Spitzer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When?" asked the eager youth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"When we start our great adventure," -replied the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And when will that be?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To-morrow, if you are willing; all our -plans are laid."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why to-morrow?" asked the others simultaneously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Because delay is dangerous. There is -always the danger that this secret, so jealously -guarded, and hidden away in the depth of the -Black Forest, may be discovered. You know -that Germany, under the Peace terms, is -forbidden for the present to manufacture -aircraft."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, yes; we know it only too well."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, even now," continued von Spitzer, -"the British Air Police have got wind of the -thing, and their agents are in a dozen different -parts of Germany trying to fathom the -mystery of this phantom aeroplane, but so -far they have not succeeded. All the same, it -is time for us to get away, and that is why I -have confided my plans to you to-day. Do -you wish to withdraw?" and there was just -a faint suspicion of a sneer in the tone of the -speaker's voice, as he said this.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Withdraw? Ach Himmel, no, a thousand -times no! I am ready to start to-day," -flashed back the ruffled Carl as he replied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gut!" grunted von Spitzer. "Then you -shall see this wonderful thing to-night at -sunset; I dare not take you there before, -and to-morrow, ach! to-morrow, this great -adventure will begin."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-wonder-plane"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER II</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE WONDER 'PLANE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The sun was sinking amongst the pines of the -Schwarzwald when the three airmen, after -traversing for several miles the wild unbroken -solitudes of that primeval forest, emerged at -length from the dark shadows of the trees on -to a little open glade, a natural clearing about -two hundred metres in diameter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here we are at last!" exclaimed the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel! what a perfect little aerodrome," -cried the scout pilot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But where is the hangar?" asked the -more observant Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist! Let us wait for the signal," -ordered the Rittmeister, waving his -companions back to the fringe of the forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there is not a soul to be seen -anywhere," expostulated Carl. "No one ever -comes here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must be careful; there is too much -at stake," whispered the flight-commander, -and then he gave a long, low whistle, repeated -twice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scarcely had the last sound died away, like -the sad piping tone of the woodland robin, -than a similar call came in response from the -opposite side of the glade.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Follow me; the way is clear," said the -chief as he strode across the clearing towards -the spot whence came the signal. And his -companions followed him, silently wondering, -for, somehow, they felt that they were treading -on enchanted ground, and that some -interesting </span><em class="italics">dénouement</em><span> would shortly take place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As they neared the edge of the forest once -more, a movement amongst the trees attracted -their attention, and the next instant a solitary -figure emerged from the shadows and greeted -them. It was the keen, lynx-eyed professor, -the great mathematician and engineer; a -man about fifty, dressed in a loose working -garb, wearing a battered felt hat above his -shock of white, wavy hair.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are welcome, children of the Fatherland," -he said, extending his hand, and fixing -the two strangers with his piercing eyes, after -this brief salutation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hope we are not late," began von Spitzer, -when the first salutation was over and he had -introduced his companions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The sun is amongst the pines and the -shadows of the Schwarzwald deepen," replied -the professor, speaking in the language of the -forest. "It was the time arranged, but"--and -here he paused for a second--"there is no -time for delay," and an uneasy look spread -over his face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't mean that----" began the -chief, but the genius forestalled him by -adding:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, strangers have crossed the clearing -to-day. For the first time since I came here, -I heard strange voices amongst the trees."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they found nothing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing!" ejaculated the professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good! Then my friends may view the -aeroplane," said Spitzer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly; let them follow me," and -through an opening barely fifteen feet wide, -the professor led the way to a combined -hangar and workshop, carefully camouflaged -and hidden away amongst the trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant the two young airmen -received the greatest surprise of their lives.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Der </span><em class="italics">Skorpion</em><span>!" announced the professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donnerwetter!" came the involuntary -cry from both the strangers as their eyes fell -upon a new type of aeroplane, with an angry, -waspish look about it, that the Bristol Fighter -used to wear during the later days of the -Great War. Yet it was not a Bristol Fighter -by any means, for it was twin-engined, and -steel-built throughout, with a central conning-tower, -tapering off to a sharp point to improve -the stream-line, and a closed-in be-cabined -fuselage into which four or six persons might -with ease be stowed away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But her engines!" exclaimed Max. -"How small they are."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But how powerful!" replied Spitzer. -"Each one develops anything up to 400 horsepower."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it possible?" asked Carl, who was -already carefully examining the starboard -engine, in its covered in and stream-lined -casement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The propellers are different, too; they're -something like the Fokker's, but shorter, and -they have a peculiar twist, which I have never -seen before. What is that for, Rittmeister?" -asked the Gotha pilot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For vertical climbs, Max," replied the -chief, for while the professor stood by, and -looked on, interested and amused at the -growing enthusiasm for his idol, the -Rittmeister, who had been secretly schooled in the -hidden mysteries, explained them point by -point, for he was a great mechanic and -mathematician was this ex-flight-commander.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Vertical climbs?" echoed the other. "I -thought it was impossible."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Impossible? Rubbish! Nothing is -impossible to the man of science. Have you -never heard of the Helicopter?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean that hybrid mongrel the -verdammt Yanks and the Britishers have been -experimenting with of late, and which has -caused so many accidents?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The same; only they went the wrong -way about it. This propeller, with this -driving power behind it, practically gives the -vertical ascent, especially when once flying -speed has been obtained."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blitz, but it is wonderful!" concluded -Max, his enthusiasm growing by leaps and -bounds, as he continued his examination.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, the propellers are made of steel, -and so are the planes," exclaimed Carl, who -was now carefully examining the material of -which the aeroplane was made.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Steel, tempered steel, every bit of -it--fuselage, propellers, tail fin, rudders. There's -not an ounce of wood about the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>," -returned the mentor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then the danger of fire is lessened," -ventured Max, whose one dread in the air -had always been that of fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That danger is eliminated," replied the -chief, in a tone of certitude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Except by petrol. By the way, where are -the petrol tanks?" exclaimed Carl, who had -never missed them till now.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There aren't any," replied the Rittmeister, -smiling. "I was waiting for that question."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No petrol tanks?" came the astonished -cry from both the airmen at once.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They're not necessary," returned the -other; "and that's the greatest mystery of all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel! Am I dreaming?" exclaimed Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, you're wide awake. Don't stare like -that, man!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Der Teufel, but how is she driven?" -demanded the scout, staring with wide-open -eyes from Spitzer to the professor, and from -the latter to his mechanic, who had stood by -all this while, with arms akimbo, silently -amused at the bewilderment of the two -strangers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen," began the Rittmeister. "I -cannot explain everything now--time will not -permit--but you shall learn all these things -before many days are over."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, go on!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The professor has spent years on this -series of inventions, both in the workshop and -the laboratory, and each discovery has been -co-ordinated and fitted into the scheme. The -greatest of all his discoveries is the fact that -he has been able to discover and to harness an -unknown force to drive the motors of the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A highly compressed gas, I suppose," -interposed Max, who had taken a science -degree at Bonn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Certainly, it is a </span><em class="italics">most</em><span> highly compressed -gas, extracted at great pains and labour from -the elements. The formulæ for this wonderful -new element exist only in the still more -wonderful brain of the professor. It has not -been committed to paper even, in its final -terms and ratios, so that, even should this -machine be captured, which it certainly shall -not be whilst I am its pilot, it could not be -used, once the present supply of this Uranis, -as we will call it, is used up."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is why the engines are so small, -then?" ventured Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Precisely!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what is our present supply of this -wonderful element?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you see this?" said the Rittmeister, -pointing to a few small cylinders, each about -two feet long, and six inches in diameter, -which lay carefully piled upon each other on -the floor near the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is the world's supply at present, -excluding the two cylinders which are already -fitted on the machine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The world's supply," ejaculated Carl, who -was thinking of the huge petrol tank, which -in a Fokker scout would last only three hours -with the throttle wide open. "That won't -last long, unless the pressure is enormous."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The pressure is enormous, my friend; -so enormous that if anything happened it -would----"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blow a hole in the universe, I reckon," -interposed Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are right, and that is the only danger -connected with the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>. The other -danger you mentioned, that of fire, is altogether -eliminated. There would be nothing to burn -if one of these cylinders exploded, for there -would be nothing left--in the vicinity."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"</span><em class="italics">Sacre bleu</em><span>!" exclaimed Carl, </span><em class="italics">sotto voce</em><span>, -for, brave youth that he was, he shuddered at -the thought.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Max was the more practical of the two, -however, for he belonged not to the highly -sensitive scouts, but to the heavy bombers, -and he merely asked to satisfy his curiosity:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How far will one of those cylinders take -us, Rittmeister?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ten thousand miles," replied the chief, -"that is, one fitted to either engine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good! Let me see, there are ten here, -and one already fitted to either motor -makes a dozen. Why, they would carry -us"--and here he made a rapid calculation--"they -would take us twice round the world."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Precisely, and with a little to spare, when -we had completed the double trip."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what speed would she pick up, say -at a level flight?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For answer the chief looked at the professor, -as though uncertain whether to reply to this -question.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They have taken the oath, sir," he pleaded, -"They cannot withdraw," and the great -scientist nodded his acquiescence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two hundred and fifty miles without -being pushed," he replied at length.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donnerwetter! And what if she were pushed?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot say, she has never been driven -beyond that."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What a deuce of a noise she will make--like -a whole formation of Gothas, I should -imagine," said Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The professor smiled, but left it to the -Rittmeister to explain this last point.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The engines are silent, but there is a -slight hum from the propellers. That cannot -be effaced at present, but it is nothing."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, having given all these details, the -visitors made a closer inspection of the -machine. They were permitted to climb into -the conning-tower, to handle the controls, and -the two swivel machine guns mounted there. -They were shown into the little cabin, where -four men might sit at the little table, or lie -down at full length, but could not stand -upright. The steel struts, steel folding wings, -the carefully packed spares, the little mica -windows in the cabin--these, and a dozen -other things, were pointed out and explained -to them--the stores which were already -packed, comprising chronometrical instruments, -maps, charts, ammunition for the guns, -compressed food, etc., until their bewilderment -grew, and their astonishment became -unbounded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, she scarcely needs an aerodrome at -all!" Carl ventured at length.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Scarcely," replied the chief. "At any -rate, not for a long time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She is weather proof; she is wonderfully -camouflaged. She could hide in a desert, or -a meadow," said Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And she carries her own stores for a long, -long trip," ventured Carl, who was just dying -for the morrow to come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And if she were chased, she could make -rings round anything, even a Fokker scout, -or a verdammt British S.E.5," added Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So you are satisfied, both of you?" -asked the Rittmeister.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perfectly satisfied. I am only longing for -to-morrow, so that I may turn aerial brigand, -buccaneer, or what you like," answered Carl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you, Max?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am ready, chief, to follow you to the end -of the world, for mine eyes have seen the -wonder 'plane."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="tempest-of-the-aerial-police"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER III</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"TEMPEST" OF THE AERIAL POLICE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Colonel John Tempest, D.S.O., M.C., etc., -late of the Royal Air Force, and now Chief -Commissioner of the British Aerial Police, sat -before a pile of papers in his office at Scotland -Yard late one evening. He was anxious and -worried, for something had gone seriously -wrong with his plans.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was his duty to investigate and track -down all aerial criminals, whether brigands, -smugglers or revolutionists of the Bolshevist -type. For this purpose he had been appointed -by the Government to the command of the -British Aerial Police, whose functions included -the patrolling of the routes of the great aerial -liners throughout the British Isles, and the -All-Red route to Egypt, India, and other -British possessions, and the careful guarding -and watching of the aerial gateways and ports.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Some of the best scout pilots of the war, -including two famous secret service men, -named Keane and Sharpe, were detailed to -assist him in this important and ever-increasing -task, for aerial crime of twenty different -kinds was becoming more and more prevalent -since the war.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So far his efforts had been conspicuously -successful, and he had brought many of the -offenders to justice, but at the present moment -he had to confess himself baffled--utterly -baffled by a series of unfortunate occurrences -which it had been beyond his power to prevent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is some master-mind behind all -this," he exclaimed to himself, rising suddenly -from his chair, and beginning to pace the -room, much in the same way that he used to -pace his squadron office, in the old days, when, -as commander of a squadron of scouts during -the Great War, he had attempted to outwit -the daring of the German airmen.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder now--I wonder what happened -to that missing German professor!" and -Colonel Tempest suddenly halted, and placed -his left hand to his forehead, as some powerful, -new idea had arrested his mental faculties.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, walking across the room swiftly, he -switched on a shaded light which illuminated -a large map of Germany, showing the aerial -routes, the lines of occupation by the Allies, etc.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is just possible," he murmured to -himself, "that the two things are connected--the -disappearance of this eminent scientist -and the appearance of this extraordinary -flying machine." Then he switched off the -light, and returned to the sheaf of papers and -documents on his desk. He sorted out one -and placed it on top; it was a decoded -message, received some days ago from one of -his agents at Constantinople. It ran as -follows:--</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Mysterious aeroplane, phantom-like -in appearance, passed over here yesterday -flying at terrific speed. All our signals -disregarded. No navigation lights -showing. Our fast scouts gave chase but left -hopelessly behind. Came from direction -of Adrianople, crossed the Bosphorus, and -disappeared rapidly flying south-east. -Time shortly after sunset.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>AERIAL, CONSTANTINOPLE."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"That is three days ago," continued the -Colonel, still thinking aloud, "and here are -four similar messages from other sources -showing quite plainly the route taken. Great -Heavens! if I were not tied to my desk in -this place, I would take the fastest scout in the -country and chase this infernal night-wizard myself."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A soft tap at the door startled the -Commissioner, for during the last three days he -had become highly nervous; this affair was -getting on his mind, but he recovered himself -instantly and called out in a deep voice:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come in!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door opened softly and his confidential -secretary entered, and announced:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Two more cables and a wireless message, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything from Keane or Sharpe yet?" -demanded the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then what are these confounded things?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More about that aerial brigand, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me see them," and Jones handed the -messages to his chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Consternation and alarm were both visible -on the face of Tempest as he read the news.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So the devil has already got to work, -Jones," he remarked, quoting from the sheets, -laconic phrases such as "Oil tanks at Port -Said burning for three days. Crew of -mysterious aeroplane suspected." (Delayed -in transit.) "Wireless station at Karachi -utterly destroyed, after brief visit by strange -airmen." The third was a wireless message -which proved most disconcerting of all to the -Commissioner. It announced that a silent -aeroplane, showing no distinctive marks -whatever, passed over Delhi "this afternoon" at -a speed estimated at not less than three -hundred miles an hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The chief of the aerial police leaned back in -his chair and groaned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three hundred miles an hour!" he gasped; -"but the silent aeroplane idea is a fallacy. -It is impossible with any type of -internal-combustion engine. It must either have been -too high up for the good people of Delhi to -hear it, or its engines must have been shut -off, or well throttled down. Bah! I know too -much about aeroplanes to swallow that." -Then rounding upon Jones, who was standing -by awaiting instructions, he said sharply:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did that second message go out to Keane?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And there's still no reply from him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing whatever, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm. I cannot understand it. Send it -out again by wireless telephone; he may be -on his way back by aeroplane now, and -possibly within reach."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right, sir," and Jones disappeared to -stab the ether waves again in search of Keane. -At that moment the telephone bell on the -Commissioner's desk rang. It was the Home -Secretary asking for Colonel Tempest, for the -same messages concerning the aerial brigand -had reached him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hello, Tempest; is that you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes; who is that?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Lord Hamilton, speaking from the Home Office."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, my lord."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I say, Tempest, what is this news just to -hand about aerial highwaymen romping half -round the British empire, destroying wireless -stations, and burning out the big oil tanks -along the All-Red Route? I thought you had -all these aerial criminals well in hand. There'll -be a deuce of a row about all this when -Parliament meets in two days' time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, er--we're doing our best to deal -with it, sir, but it will take time to lay these -fellows by the heel, I fear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you got the matter in hand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What have you done? I shall be -bombarded with questions shortly; in fact, the -Colonial Secretary's here now. He's complaining -that the routes are not sufficiently well -patrolled. What steps have you taken to deal -with these marauders?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I've wirelessed to all the aerial stations, -to get their fastest scouts out all along the -line at once to look for these bandits, and I'm -staying on here all night expecting news every -moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well. Keep me informed of everything -that happens. It's becoming very -serious. You have full powers to deal -effectively with these criminals, and they may -be shot down at sight if they don't respond to -signals."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, as the angry minister rang off, another -tap was heard at the door, and the imperturbable -Jones entered once more, and announced:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Message from Keane and Sharpe came in -whilst you were speaking on the telephone, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good!" ejaculated Tempest, as he wiped -the perspiration from his brow, for he had -expected something much worse from the -Home Secretary. "What does the message say?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They received my last message, sir, and -are on their way home by the fastest -aeroplane. They are due at Hounslow aerodrome -at midnight."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excellent! What time is it now, Jones?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It wants ten minutes to midnight, sir, -and I have sent out the fastest car to meet -them and bring them straight here. They -should be here in half an hour, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you told them at Hounslow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir, and they have already got out -the coloured lights and the ground flares."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have done well, Jones, but you had -better not leave the office to-night. I'm very -sorry, but I may want you. This is urgent -business; we're up against something this time, -and unless Keane and Sharpe have found -something out, we're going to be beaten."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll stay, sir, but what about you? This -is your third night-sitting, and you've had -nothing since lunch. Shall I order supper for you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, thanks, Jones, but I'd forgotten. -Yes, you may order me coffee and a sandwich, -and get something for yourself. You're getting -the strain as well, and I don't want you -to break down."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When left alone, Colonel Tempest once -more began to pace the soft-carpeted room, -much as a captain paces the bridge when his -thoughts are unduly disturbed by some -untoward event during the watch of the second -officer. Every other minute he consulted his -watch, and wondered why the time passed so -slowly. Twice he rang down to the lobby -attendant and asked if Captain Keane had -arrived, and twice the same answer was -returned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then he looked at the maps on the wall, and -followed with his finger the trail of the All-Red -Route which the aerial liners followed, linking -up the empire and half the world. Now and -again he would glance shrewdly at the large -map of Germany, as a skipper eyes the weather -quarter when a storm is brewing. Occasionally -he would murmur half aloud:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A silent engine ... three hundred miles -an hour. Gee whiz! but they have beaten -us two to one. We shall never catch them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then a slight sound caught his ears from -outside the great building. The soft purr of -an approaching Rolls-Royce motor and the -sharp blast of a Klaxon horn followed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At last!" he cried. "Here they come!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-midnight-consultation"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">A MIDNIGHT CONSULTATION</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The next moment the door burst open and -two men in flying helmets and leathern coats -entered the room, and saluted the Colonel. -Without any ceremony the latter greeted them -warmly, almost joyously, for their cheerful -presence gave almost instant relief to his -over-burdened mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good evening, Keane. Good evening, -Sharpe," he exclaimed, stepping forward and -gripping each of them warmly by the hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good evening, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, have you discovered anything?" -began the chief, without waiting for them to -divest themselves of their heavy gear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane looked at the Commissioner for a -second or two and then answered:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and no, Colonel."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm. That means something and nothing, -I presume."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly, sir," continued Keane, who acted -the part of spokesman. Then, speaking more -solemnly, and in lowered tones, he continued, -"We are up against something abnormal; I -had almost said something supernatural. -When you recalled us we were hot on the -trail of the man who, in my opinion, is -behind this conspiracy."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean this Professor Weissmann?" -added the chief of the aerial police.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane nodded.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought so. This man is evidently an -evil genius of very high mental calibre, and -he has determined, out of personal revenge -for the defeat of Germany, to thwart the -Allies, and in particular Great Britain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is a master-mind, and a highly -dangerous personality; dangerous because he -is so clever. And now that he has secured a -few daring airmen for his tools, there is no -end to the possibilities which his evil genius -may accomplish before he and his crew are -run to earth," replied Captain Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it, I know it--look here!" and -the colonel handed him the batch of cables -and wireless messages which showed how the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> had already got to work.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm! and there will be worse to follow," -added the airman after he had glanced through -the list.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Now, tell me briefly what you have -found, Keane, after which we must get to -work to devise some immediate plan to -thwart these aerial brigands. But first take -off your flying gear, and sit by the fire, -for you must be hungry, tired and numbed -after that cold night ride." Then, ringing for -his attendant, he ordered up more strong -coffee and sandwiches.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks, Colonel, I will not refuse. It -was indeed a cold ride, and we had no time to -get refreshments before leaving the aerodrome -at Cologne this evening," said Sharpe, as he -divested himself of his heavy gear, sat by the -fire and enjoyed the coffee which soon arrived.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few moments later, the three men were -engaged in serious conversation, although the -hour of midnight had long since been tolled -out by Big Ben.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You sent me," Keane was saying, "to -discover the whereabouts of this great German -engineer and man of science, this brain wave -whose perverted genius is likely to cost us so -dear."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you were unable to find any trace -of him?" interposed the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, we were unable to come into contact -with him, for we found that since peace was -concluded he had vacated his professorial -chair at Heidelberg University, where he had -been engaged for some considerable time, not -only on some mechanical production, but in -an attempt to discover some unknown force, -evidently a new kind of highly compressed gas -to be used for propulsive purposes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Had he been successful?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That, it was impossible to find out during -our short stay over there," replied Keane, -"but I discovered from someone who had been -in close touch with him just about the time -peace was signed, that he had expressed -himself in very hopeful terms."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was he a very communicative type of -man, then, did you learn?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No; on the contrary, he seldom spoke -of his work, but on this occasion, when he -communicated this information, he was very -much annoyed at the defeat of Germany, and -considered that his country had been betrayed -into a hasty peace."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what happened to him after that?" -asked the colonel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shortly afterwards he disappeared -completely, taking with him all the apparatus -connected with his research work, also a highly -skilled mechanic who had been specially -trained by him for a number of years. But -he left not a trace of himself or his work," -said the captain, pausing for a moment to -light a cigarette.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think he is acting under any -instructions from his authorities?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, certainly not; he distrusts his present -Government entirely, and considers them -traitors to the Fatherland."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was another brief silence, whilst -the three men, wrapt in deep thought, sat -looking into the fire, or watched the rings of -tobacco smoke curling upwards to the ceiling. -At last, Captain Sharpe observed:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A powerful intellect like that did not -suddenly disappear in this way without some -ulterior motive, Colonel Tempest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Obviously not," returned the latter briefly, -for he was deep in contemplation, and his -mind was searching for some clue. At length -he turned to the senior captain and said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This silent engine theory, Keane, what -do you think of it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane shook his head doubtfully, and the -colonel handed to him once more the recent -wireless message from Delhi, adding merely:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you think it possible?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Scarcely," replied Keane carefully, "but -with a master mind like this, one never knows. -It will be necessary for you to consult the -most eminent professors of science and -chemistry at once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I intend to visit Professor Verne at his -house first thing to-morrow, or rather to-day, -for it is already morning."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the aeroplane," added Sharpe, who -had been perusing the Delhi message, "this -also must have been specially built for this -new gas."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Given the one, the other would naturally -follow, and would be the lesser task of the -two, for this man is a great engineer as well," -said Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is a deep well of mystery," continued -Tempest after another pause; "but -something must be done at once. To-morrow the -morning papers will be full of it. Next day -Parliament meets, and questions will be -asked, and it will all come upon us. I shall -have to meet the Home Secretary as soon as -I have interviewed Professor Verne, and Lord -Hamilton will not be easily satisfied. The -public will also be clamouring for information -on the subject, and they will have to be -appeased and calmed. The Stock Exchange -will begin to talk also, and to demand -compensation for the companies whose properties -have been damaged. Insurance rates, marine -and otherwise, will be raised, and Lloyd's -underwriters will not fail to make a fuss. -Now, gentlemen, what steps can we take to -deal with these raiders in the immediate future?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Send us after this mystery 'plane on fast -scouts with plenty of machine-gun ammunition," -urged Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot spare you for that, but I have -already ordered strong patrols of aerial police -to search for the brigands. I must have you -here or somewhere within call. At any rate, -I cannot let you go further than Germany. -It may be necessary to send you there again."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On what account, sir?" asked Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To find the aerodrome which this raider -calls 'home,' for he must have a rendezvous -somewhere if only to obtain supplies and -repairs."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that secret aerodrome must be -somewhere in Germany, hidden away in -some out-of-the-way place," ventured Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But in what part of Germany?" asked -the commissioner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me see," cried Keane, rising to his -feet, and walking across the room to where -the large map of Germany hung upon the -wall--"why, it must be in the Schwarzwald!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Schwarzwald!" exclaimed the other two.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it is by far the best hiding-place -in the whole country. One may tramp for -days and never see a soul. It must be -somewhere in the Schwarzwald."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then to the Schwarzwald you must go -to-morrow, adopting whatever disguises you -desire, and you must find this hidden spot -where the conspiracy has been hatched," -concluded the colonel.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-aerial-liner"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER V</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE AERIAL LINER</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The airship liner, </span><em class="italics">Empress of India</em><span>, was -preparing to leave her moorings, just outside -the ancient city of Delhi, for Cairo and -London. This mammoth airship was one of -the finest vessels which sailed regularly from -London, east and west, girdling the world, -and linking up the British Empire along the -All-Red Route. She had few passengers, as -she carried an unusually heavy cargo of mails -for Egypt and England, and a considerable -amount of specie for the Bank of England. -Several persons of note, however, figured -amongst her saloon passengers, including -the Maharajah of Bangapore, an Anglo-Indian -judge, and a retired colonel of the -Indian army.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>She was timed to depart at mid-day, and -during the morning mailplanes had been -arriving from every part of India with their -cargoes of mail-bags, already sorted for the -western trip.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The great mammoth now rode easily with -the wind, moored by three stout cables to the -great tower which rose above the roof gardens -of the air-station. An electric lift conveyed -the passengers and mails to the summit of -this lofty tower, from whence a covered-in -gangway led to the long corridors which lined -the interior of the rigid airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have all the engines been tested?" the -captain asks of the chief engineer, as he -comes aboard with his navigating officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All the passengers aboard?" he asks next -of the ground officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All except the maharajah, Captain, and -I expect him any moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Excellent," replied the skipper. "There's -a good deal of bullion aboard from the Indian -banks, I hear, and the rajah himself is likely -touring a lot of valuables with him, I understand, -as he is to attend several court functions -at St. James's Palace."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. I hope you won't meet that -aerial raider," replied the ground officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poof! What can he do? He can't board -us in mid-air! Besides, I hear that the -aerial police are on his track, and that all their -fast scouts are patrolling the mail routes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, you'll have an aerial escort with -you for the first two hundred miles, Captain. -They'll pick you up shortly after you leave here."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Absolutely a waste of time. The police -could be much better employed in searching -for these rascals."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, perhaps you're right," replied the -ground official. "They certainly cannot -board you in mid-air, as you observe, and -they cannot set you on fire as they did the -early Zeppelins, for helium won't burn."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This conversation was interrupted by shouts -and cheers which reached the speakers from -down below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hullo! here comes the rajah. I must -go down and welcome him," said the captain, -as a fanfare of trumpets announced the -arrival of the great Indian chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, with all the ceremonial and pomp -of the East, the Maharajah of Bangapore was -welcomed aboard the luxurious air-liner, and, -accompanied by his personal attendants, he -was shown with much obsequiousness to his -private saloon. His baggage, containing -treasures worth a king's ransom, was -likewise transferred, under the supervision of -his chamberlain, from the ground to his suite -of apartments.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The clock in the palace of the Great Mogul -in the old city of Delhi strikes twelve, and the -captain's voice is heard once more, as he -speaks from the rear gondola:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All ready?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir, all clear!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A button is pressed and the water ballast -tanks discharge their cargo to lighten the -ship, and then swiftly comes the final order:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And as the cables are slipped from the -mooring tower, the light gangway is drawn -back, the crowd down below cheer, and the -giant airship backs out, carried by the force of -the wind alone till she is well clear of the -station. Then her engines open up gradually. -She turns until her nose points almost due -west, then slips away on her four thousand -miles' journey over many a classic land, -desert, forest and sea towards the centre of the -world's greatest empire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>About four o'clock that afternoon, as Judge -Jefferson sat and talked with his friend Colonel -Wilson in one of the rear gondolas where -smoking was permitted, he remarked that -this was his seventh trip home to England -by the aerial route, and declared that he could -well spend the rest of his lifetime in such a -pleasant mode of travel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There's no fatigue whatever," he added; -"nothing of the jolt and jar which you get -in the railway carriage. As for the journey -by sea, I was so ill during my last voyage -that I simply couldn't face the sea again. -A storm at sea is of all things the most -uncomfortable. If we meet with a storm on the -air-route we can either go above it or pass on -one side, as most storms are only local -affairs."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not to speak of the time that is -wasted by land or sea-travel," added the -colonel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly," replied the judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only to think that in forty-eight hours we -shall be in London, even allowing for a two -hours' stay in Cairo to pick up further mails -and passengers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wonderful! Wonderful!" agreed his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the absence of heat is some consideration, -when travelling in a land like India," -continued the colonel as he flicked off the end -of his cigar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. The stifling heat, particularly in -May, June and July, when you get the hot -dry winds, is altogether insufferable in those -stuffy railway carriages, while up here it is -delightfully cool and bracing, and the view -is magnificent."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hullo! what is that fine river down -there?" asked the judge, as he looked down -through the clear, tropical atmosphere on to -the delightful landscape of river, plain and -forest three thousand feet below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, that must be the Indus, the King -River of Vedic poetry, a wonderful stream, -two thousand miles in length," said the -colonel, consulting his pocket map.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can it really be the Indus?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is indeed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then we have already travelled four -hundred miles since noon across the burning plains -of India, and we have reached the confines of -this wonderful land," replied Jefferson.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, we have indeed. We shall soon -enter the native state of Baluchistan. See -yonder, right ahead of us, I can already make -out the highest peaks of the Sulaiman -Mountains. We are already rising to cross them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And this evening we shall cross the -troubled territory of Afghanistan."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," replied the colonel, "and by midnight, -if all goes well, we shall be sailing over Persia."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Persia, the land of enchantment," mused the judge.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And of the </span><em class="italics">Arabian Nights</em><span>, those wonderful -tales which charmed our boyhood--the -land of Aladdin, of the wonderful lamp, and -the magic carpet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The magic carpet," laughed the judge. -"This is the real magic carpet. The author -of that wonderful story never dreamt that the -day would really come when the traveller -from other lands, reclining in luxury, would -be carried through the air across his native -land, by day or by night, at twice the flight -of a bird."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And so these two men talked about these -wonderful classic lands over which they were -sailing so serenely, of Zoroaster, the great -Persian teacher of other days, of Ahura Mazda, -the All-Wise, and the Cobbler of Baghdad, -until the tea-bell startled them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, finding they were hungry because the -bracing air had made them so, they passed on -to the snug little tea-room, where, amid the -palm-trees and the orchids, they listened to -soft dulcet notes from a small Indian orchestra -which accompanied the maharajah. Here, they -sipped delicious china tea from dainty Persian -cups, and appeased their hunger, as best they -could, from the tiny portions of alluring -</span><em class="italics">patisserie</em><span> which usually accompany afternoon tea.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But, later that evening, they did ample -justice to a fuller and nobler banquet, which -had been prepared for them in the gilded -and lofty dining saloon; for they were the -honoured guests of the Maharajah of Bangapore. -And he entertained them right royally -as befitted one of his princely rank.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And in all the wondrous folk-lore and -tradition of the ancient Persian kings, was there -ever a more regal banquet, or one more -conspicuous by the splendour of its oriental -wealth than this long-protracted feast? Rich -emblazoned goblets of gold, bejewelled with -rare and precious gems, adorned the table, -for the prince had brought his household -treasures; they were to him his household -gods, and heirlooms of priceless worth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Never the Lydian flute played sweeter -music than these soft native airs which -wandered amid the eastern skies, as, under the -silver moon, the long, glistening, pearl-like -airship sailed on beneath the stars, while down, -far down below, lay the ruins of Persepolis, -where the ancient kings of Persia slept their -last long sleep.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="an-up-to-date-cabin-boy"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">AN UP-TO-DATE CABIN BOY</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>While the great, mammoth air-liner is racing -like a meteor across the eastern skies, on its -way to Cairo and London, it is necessary to -introduce to the reader a chirpy, little fellow -called Gadget. In fact, this cute little chap, -who stood a matter of four feet two inches in -his stockinged feet, deserves a chapter or two -all to himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now Gadget did not belong to the passengers, -nor did his name appear at all in that -distinguished list. Neither did he rightly -belong to the crew, except in the matter of -his own opinion--on which subject he held -very pronounced views. But he certainly -did belong to the airship, and appeared to be -part of the apparatus, or maybe the fixtures -and effects. He certainly knew the run of -that great liner, every nook and corner of it, -better even than the purser or the navigating -officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To tell the truth, this insignificant but -perky little bit of humanity was a stowaway, -who had determined, at twelve years of age, -to see the world, at the expense of somebody -else. How he came aboard, and hid himself -amongst the mail-bags, until the airship had -sailed a thousand miles over land and sea, -still remains a mystery. But it happened -that, when the </span><em class="italics">Empress of India</em><span> was crossing -the blue waters of the Adriatic sea, on her -outward voyage, there came a tap at the -captain's door one afternoon when the latter -had just retired for a brief spell.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come in!" called the air-skipper, in -rather surly tones, wondering what had -happened to occasion this interruption.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant, the chief officer entered -the little state-room, leading by a bit of -string, attached to one of his nether garments, -the most tattered-looking, diminutive, but -perky little street Arab the captain had ever -beheld.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What in the name of goodness have you -got there, Crabtree?" exclaimed the skipper, -starting up from his comfortable bunk, at -this apparition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stowaway, sir!" replied the officer briefly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stowaway?" echoed the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where did you find him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Didn't find him, sir. He gave himself -up just now. Says he's been hiding amongst -the mail-bags. What shall I do with him, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tie him to a parachute and drop him -overboard as soon as we are over the land -again," shouted the captain in angry tones. -"I won't have any stowaways aboard my ship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was said more to frighten the little -imp than with real intent, though the -air-skipper spoke in angry tones, as if he meant -what he said. He was evidently very much -annoyed at this discovery.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He's half-frozen, sir," interposed the -chief officer in more kindly tones.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Humph! Of course he is," added the -captain. "This keen, biting wind at three -thousand feet above the sea must have turned -his marrow cold. Besides, he hasn't enough -clothes to cover a rabbit decently. Just look -at him!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little chap's eyes sparkled, and his -face flushed a little at this reference to his -scant wardrobe. But he knew by the changed -tone in the captain's voice that the worst was -now over. He had not even heard a reference -to the proverbial rope's-end, a vision which -he had always associated in his mind with -stowaways.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"My word, he's a plucky little urchin, -Crabtree!" declared the air-skipper at length, -his anger settling down, and his admiration -for the adventurous little gamin asserting -itself as he gazed at the ragged but sharp-eyed -little fellow.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is your name, Sonny?" he asked at length.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gadget, sir," whipped out the stowaway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good enough!" returned the captain -smiling. "We've plenty of gadgets aboard -the airship, and I guess another won't make -much difference. What do you say, Crabtree?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, we'll find something for him to do, -sir. And we'll make him earn his keep. He's -an intelligent little shrimp, anyhow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How old are you, Gadget?" asked the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Twelve, sir!" replied the gamin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Father and mother dead, I suppose?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Been left to look after yourself, Gadget, -I reckon, haven't you?" said the skipper -kindly, as he gave one more searching glance -at the small urchin, and noted how the little -blue lips quivered, despite the brave young -heart behind them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was no reply this time, for even the -poor, ill-treated lad could not bring himself -to speak of his up-bringing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never mind, Gadget...!" interposed -the skipper, changing the subject. "So you -determined to see the world, did you, my boy?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yessir!" came the reply, and again the -sharp eyes twinkled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Well, you shall go round the world with -me, if you are a good boy. But, if you don't -behave, mark my words"--and here the -captain raised his voice as if in anger--"I'll -drop you overboard by parachute, and leave -you behind! Do you understand?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The urchin promised to behave himself, -and, in language redolent of Whitechapel, -began to thank the captain effusively.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There, that will do! Take him away, -and get him a proper rig-out, Crabtree," said -the skipper impatiently. "I never saw such -a tatterdemalion in all my life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along, now, Gadget," ordered the -chief officer, giving a little tug at the frayed -rope, which he had been holding all this while, -and, which, in some unaccountable way, -seemed to hold the urchin's wardrobe together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This little tug, however, had dire results, -in-so-far as the above mentioned wardrobe -was concerned. It immediately became -obvious that it not only served as braces to -the little gamin, but also as a girdle, which -kept in a sort of suspended animation Gadget's -circulating library and commissariat. For, -even as the janitor and his prisoner turned, -the rope became undone, and, though Gadget -by a rapid movement retained the nether part -of his tattered apparel in position, yet his -library--which consisted of a dirty, -grease-stained, much worn volume--and his -commissariat--composed of sundry fragments of -dry crusts of bread wrapped in half a -newspaper--immediately became dislodged by the -movement, and showered themselves in a -dozen fragments at the captain's feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Snakes alive! what have we here?" -demanded that august person, as he stooped -and picked up the book. Then he laughed -outright, as he read aloud from the grubby, -much-thumbed title page:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><em class="italics">Five weeks in a Balloon</em><span> ... by Jules Verne.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mate grinned too. He remembered how -that same book had thrilled him, not so long -ago either. And, perhaps, after all, it was -the same with Captain Rogers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where did you get this, Gadget?" asked -the captain, reopening the conversation, after -this little accident.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bought it of Jimmy Dale, sir," replied -the boy readily.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And how much did you pay for it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gev 'im my braces, an' a piece o' tar band -for it, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain ceased to laugh, and looked -at the boy's earnest face. And something -suspiciously like a tear glistened in the eyes -of the airman, as he replied:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You actually gave away to another urchin -an important part of your scanty wardrobe -to get possession of this book?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, it wur a fair bargen, sir. Jimmy -found the book on a dust heap, but I wasn't -takin' it fur nothin'. And then Jimmy never -had any braces."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I see. Very well, you can go now, Gadget. -Mr. Crabtree will find you some better clothes, -and get you some food. Then you shall -report to me to-morrow. See, here is your -treasured book," said the skipper, dismissing -the urchin once more.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, sir," returned the boy, -pulling a lock of unkempt hair which hung -over his forehead, by way of salute. "I'll -lend you the book, sir, if you'll take care of -it," and the chief officer smiled as he led the -little chap away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So that was how Gadget became part of -the fixtures and apparatus of the air liner. -He was more than an adventurer, was Gadget. -He might even have been an inventor or a -discoverer, if he had met with better fortune -in the choice of his parents. His sharp, young -brain was full of great ideas.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>In less than a couple of days, rigged out in -a smart pair of overalls, which had been very -considerably cut down, he was soon perfectly -at home aboard the great liner. But then -he was so adaptable. As an up-to-date cabin -boy, the captain declared that he never knew -his equal.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He became a general favourite, and in a -very short space of time he discovered more -about airships and internal-combustion -engines than many a man would have learnt -in six months.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was no use, therefore, to argue with the -boy that he didn't belong to the crew of the -</span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span>. And it just wasn't worth while to -inform him that, as he was still of school age, -he would be handed over to the authorities, -or placed in a reformatory, as soon as the -vessel returned to England. Gadget had -made up his mind that he wouldn't. In a -little while it even became an open question -whether Gadget belonged to the airship or -the airship belonged to Gadget.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I hain't argefyin' with you, I'm telling ye. -This is the way it should be done!" he was -heard to remark to one of the air mechanics -one day, after he had been on the vessel about -a week. The point at issue concerned a -piece of work on which the mechanic was -engaged, and Gadget had even dared to -express his point of view. The extraordinary -thing was that Gadget was right.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ships and railway engines were all right -in their way, but they were not good enough -for Gadget. Aeroplanes and airships were -much more to his liking. He was thoroughly -alive and up-to-date, and though some months -ago, when this fever of world travel first -seized upon him, he had more than once -considered the question of stowing himself -quietly away on some outward bound vessel -from the West India Docks in London, his -fortunate discovery, and ultimate possession -of that tattered copy of </span><em class="italics">Five Weeks in a -Balloon</em><span>, had caused him to change his views.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ever since reading that volume he had had -no rest. Even his dreams had been -mainly concerning balloons and their modern -equivalents, airships.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will see the world from an airship," he -had confidently announced to himself one -day. "I will sail over tropical forests and -lagoons, over deserts and jungles."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This had been his dream and his prayer. -But unlike many older folk, Gadget had left -no stone unturned in order to answer his own -prayer. He had carefully followed the -newspapers (for he had earned many a shilling by -selling them) for the movements of the new -air liner and the opening up of the All-Red -Route. And when the time had arrived for -the airship to sail, watching his opportunity -the little fellow had smuggled himself on -board, and here he was, having now almost -sailed around the world, crossing the Arabian -desert on the homeward voyage.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="a-duel-with-words"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">A DUEL WITH WORDS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Gadget's activities, however, were not -confined merely to the duties of cabin boy, -although his diminutive size and his rapidity -of movement made him very useful in that -capacity. To fetch and carry for the skipper -or chief officer along that 670 feet of keel -corridor was to him a life of sparkle and -animation. But, when no particular duty -called him, the pulsating mechanism of that -mighty leviathan irresistibly attracted him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His round, closely cropped, well shaped -head, and his roguish little face, would -suddenly appear in the wireless cabin or in -one of the four gondolas, where the powerful -Sunbeam-Maori engines drove the whirling -propellers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ship's mascot and general favourite though -he was, his sharp wits soon enabled him to -make himself almost indispensable. At length, -however, the everlasting call seemed to be----</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gadget! Gadget! Where is the little -rascal? What mischief is he up to now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For it must be admitted that the overwhelming -curiosity of the urchin sometimes -got him into trouble. In this respect he had -particularly fallen foul of Morgan, the third -engineer, a short, stout, somewhat stumpy -type of Welshman, whose spell of duty -generally confined his activities to the care of -the twin-engines in the rear gondola.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It appears that Gadget had unwittingly -broken the rules and regulations of the airship -by smuggling two parcels of tobacco aboard -during a brief stay in one of the air ports. -He knew full well that a little fortune awaited -the man who could unload smuggled tobacco -down the Whitechapel Road, and the temptation -had been too great for him. He had been -discovered, however, and the captain had -punished him for the offence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now, Gadget was still smarting under this -punishment when one day he startled the -third engineer by his sudden and unlooked for -appearance in the rear gondola.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How now, you little rascal!" exclaimed -Morgan, throwing a greasy rag at the boy. -"How much did you make on that tobacco?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop smokin' on dooty, will yer, an' -mind yer own bisness!" rasped out the urchin, -feeling that both his dignity and importance -were being imperilled by this reference to his -recent offence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go away!" snarled the bad-tempered -Welshman, surreptitiously hiding the still -smoking cigarette.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yah! Why don't yer get more 'revs' -out o' those rear engines?" yapped the -insulting little Cockney boy, repeating a few -words used by the captain himself the day -before, and preparing to beat a hasty retreat -through the doorway.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You dirty ragamuffin!" shouted the -stout man, flushing with anger, and hurling -the oil can, which he held in his hand, at the -gamin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For one instant the tantalising little street -arab disappeared on the other side of the door, -but, when the missile had spent its force, -and had crumpled up against the panelling, -leaving a pool of oil on the floor, the urchin's -head reappeared once more. The opportunity -was too good to be lost. All the vivacity of -the boy was pitted against the hot tempered -Welshman, and Gadget was a master of -invective, and had a wonderful command of high -sounding words, the real meaning of which, -however, he did not properly understand. -But he was just dying for another of these -encounters, so common in his experience of -things down Stepney way, or along the West -India Dock Road.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Call yerself an ingineer?" came the next -gibe from the saucy, impudent little face, -now distorted into something grotesque and -ugly. "We'll be two hours late at Cairo, -an' all because you ain't fit to stoke a -donkey-ingine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ger-r-r-o-u-t!" shouted the angry man, -making a rush for his tormentor. "I'll break -your head if you come in here again!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'd like ter see yer!" came the tart -reply, ten seconds later, as the head -reappeared once again, for Gadget had retreated -swiftly some way down the keel corridor, as -his opponent made for him with a huge -spanner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The engineer had determined to lock the -door of the little engine-room against the -little stinging gad-fly, but of course the -sharp-witted rascal had outwitted, or -"spike-bozzled" him, as they say in the Air Force, -by snatching the key and locking the -communication-door on the outer side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Morgan was beginning to find out to his -cost that it was a very unwise proceeding -to cross the path of this pertinacious -stowaway. He could not get rid of him, and this -morning, after the skipper's recent remarks, -he was trying to recover his lost reputation -by extra attention to his engines. Besides, -the captain would be along on his rounds -again soon, and, if the engines were not doing -their accustomed revolutions, there might be -trouble.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thinking he had now got rid of his tormentor, -Morgan turned to examine his engines, -when the key turned softly in the lock once -more, and the irrepressible mascot, peering -through the slightly open door, grinned, and -then gave vent to the one word, which means -so much:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Spike-bozzled! Yah!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a little villain!" roared the engineer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're an incubus!" retorted Gadget.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go away!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Swollen head, that's what you've got!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By St. David, if I catch you, I'll----" -cried the now exasperated Welshman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Abnormal circumference--distended -stummick, that's what you're sufferin' from. -The capten says so!" replied Gadget as a -parting shot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This ungentle reference to his personal -symmetry was too much for the engineer, and -he made another wild rush in the direction -of his opponent. This time, Gadget had no -opportunity to lock the door, but, turning -round, he bolted precipitately down the long -keel corridor, cannoning into the chief officer, -who was just coming along to the rear -gondola, and receiving a somewhat violent cuff -on the head from that dignified official, whose -gravity had been gravely endangered by this -sudden encounter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here, you little rascal, take that!" cried -the angry officer, and Gadget, glad to get -away on such slight terms, and feeling that -he had given his opponent value for his -money, scampered off, and made his way -to the wireless cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here he assumed immediately an attitude -of respectful attention, and even prevailed -on the officer in charge to give him another -lesson on the Morse code, for the urchin had -a wonderful range of feeling which enabled -him at a moment's notice to adapt himself -to the circumstances of his environment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wonderful, Gadget! You're making rapid -progress. You shall have a lesson in taking -down messages, to-morrow. You have the -making of a good wireless operator in you. -I shall speak to the captain about it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, sir," replied the </span><em class="italics">gamin</em><span>, -pulling his lock of hair by way of salute. -This lock of hair, by the way, at the urchin's -special request, had been left there, when the -famous "R. D. clippers" had shorn off the -rest of the crop, when the airship's barber -had overhauled and close-reefed him, soon -after his first encounter with the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Gadget's next visit was to the little -photographic cabin, where the wonderful negatives -and bioscope films were carefully prepared. -These were to record to the world at large -the wonderful panorama of the earth and -sky, photographed from the great air-liner -on her wonderful trip.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Here, again, by his artful, winning way, -which Gadget knew how to adopt when -circumstances demanded it, the little urchin -was on good terms with the photographic -officer. The latter, who admired the boy's -character and wit, and pitied his upbringing, -had declared more than once that Gadget -possessed in a large degree that intuitive -genius which belongs to greatness, and -prophesied a brilliant future for the neglected -boy, if only he could be properly trained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come to me for an hour a day, Gadget, -when the captain does not require your -services, and I will teach you photography. Some -day you shall have a camera of your own, -and who knows, you may become a great film -operator." And the grateful boy was only -too quick to learn what these skilful operators -had to teach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, into this new life of adventure and -travel, this little urchin entered with all the -zest and enthusiasm of which he was capable, -making many friends, and an occasional -enemy. And all the while the great airship, -glistening in the tropical sun, sailed on across -the wide stretch of desert which lies between -India and Egypt, along the line of the -thirtieth parallel.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="sons-of-the-desert"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER VIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">SONS OF THE DESERT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The tropical sun looked fiercely down upon -the burning sands of the Hamadian Desert. -North, south, east and west, as far as the -eye could reach, in every direction, the -illimitable waste of desert stretched, save only -at one pleasant, fertile spot, where a cluster -of date and lofty palm trees fringed the banks -of a silent pool.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A small encampment of Bedouins, sons of -the desert, fierce-looking and proud, occupied -this charming spot. Three small tents and -a larger one, a camouflaged fabric, part of -the loot of the garrison of Kut, completed -the camp. There were a dozen men all told, -and as many noble, fiery Arab steeds. The -men were well armed, with modern weapons, -too. There had been too much loot in the -Mesopotamian campaign during recent years -for the Arab sheik and his followers to find -much difficulty in securing the very pick of -European weapons, ammunition and equipment. -But one thing was evident--all these -men were not real sons of the desert. Three -of them at least were Europeans, as the reader -will shortly perceive.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An atmosphere of subdued excitement, -primed with expectancy, seemed to pervade -the camp. The whole party were eagerly -watching and waiting for something. But -what caravan, with its tinkling bells, its camels -and spices, its rich silks and ladings from -Persia or from Damascus had awakened the -predatory instincts of these kings of the -desert? Besides, were they not too few in -number to engage a well-armed band of -Baghdad merchants?</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nay, it was no rich argosy of the desert -that these fierce men expected; their eyes -were directed one and all towards the skies, -for the days had now arrived of which the -poet spoke, when he</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Saw the heavens filled with commerce,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Argosies of magic sails,</span></div> -</div> -<div class="line"><span>Pilots of the purple twilight,</span></div> -<div class="inner line-block"> -<div class="line"><span>Dropping down with costly bales;"</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>and they were awaiting, with evil intent, the -passing of the Aerial Mail, which they knew -to be carrying vast treasures of gold and -other precious things from India to Cairo and -Europe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The three Europeans who had collected -and organised these robber chiefs, by appealing -to their hereditary instincts, were none other -than our friends, Rittmeister von Spitzer, -and his companions Carl and Max, the -German irreconcilables, whom we left in the -dark shadows of the Schwarzwald preparing -for their adventure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Already they had made a name greater -than Muller of the </span><em class="italics">Emden</em><span>, but they had made -themselves outlaws of the nations of the -world, and though for a little while success -and fame might attend them, yet they knew -that sooner or later the agreed price of their -adventure would be death.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What news of the British air-liner, Max?" -called von Spitzer, as his subordinate -descended by a rope ladder from one of the -smaller trees, where an observation post had -been fixed, and an aerial mounted, for -the purposes of wireless telegraphy and -telephony.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She left Delhi at mid-day yesterday, -sir," replied the operator, unclamping the -receivers which till now had been fixed over -his ears.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then she's running to scheduled time?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was it the official departure message -that you tapped?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It must have been, Rittmeister, for it -announced that a distinguished passenger -had joined her at the last moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indeed! What was his name? Did -you discover it?" asked the flight-commander, -who, to maintain his influence over -the wild sons of the desert, was wearing the -loose, flowing robes of an Arab sheik, richly -emblazoned and adorned.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His name was the Maharajah of Bangalore," -replied Max, the erstwhile Gotha pilot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What! the miscreant! He was the man -who raised thirty thousand Indian troops -for the Mesopotamian campaign, and made -it possible for the British to advance on -Baghdad after their disaster at Kut."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That accounts for it. He is to be -decorated at St. James's Palace for some -eminent services he has rendered to the -British Government."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're in luck's way, Max. I may spare -his life, as I do not seek to take any man's -life who does not oppose me. But it's a -thousand to one he's carrying his jewels and -his household gods with him; it is the custom -of these eastern potentates. I will strip -him as the locust strips the vine. I will give -his jewels to these brave Arabs; it will -confirm my hold upon them. We may need -their help upon another occasion. But, this -is by the way, was there anything from the -professor?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Only this, Rittmeister; I have waited -since dawn for it," and the operator handed -to Spitzer a cryptic message of seven letters, -which, to the receiver at least was quite -unintelligible. Max had pencilled it down as -follows:--"X--G--P--C--V--S--M," for it -had come through the ether by wireless -telegraphy and not by wireless telephone, like -the first message. The reason was obvious. -One message was for public intelligence and -for use in the newspapers, and the other was -for more secret and sinister purposes. The -cryptogram had come from the professor, -who, with his mechanic, had been left behind -in the Schwarzwald to collect information -for the brigands, and to obtain further supplies -of uranis for the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Rittmeister eagerly grasped the little -strip of paper on which the message was -written, and retired to the small hangar where -the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> was pegged down and stowed -away, remarking:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is evidently urgent; I must get the -cipher-key and decode it at once. Meantime, -I want you to rehearse the men in the parts -they are to play, and give Carl a hand with -the vibration drum. The great liner is -almost due. You may tell the sheik that -in addition to the large cargo of gold which -the airship carries, an Indian Prince with -jewels worth a king's ransom is on board."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your orders shall be carried out, -Rittmeister," replied Max, who was glad to be -relieved of his monotonous task of listening -hour after hour for coded messages, and -looked forward with some pleasure to the -coming adventure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Shortly afterwards, Max, having delivered -his message to the Arabian chief, was standing -beside Carl under the shadow of a cluster of -trees on the very margin of the pool. That -wonderful instrument, the vibrative drum, -which is fashioned somewhat on the principle -of the human ear, but with a large horn-shaped -receptacle for receiving the very minutest -sound waves, and focussing them on to a very -sensitive drum, was engaging their attention.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Every now and then, when they fancied -they heard a sound that broke the stillness of -the desert, they would listen acutely, turning -the horn this way and that way to discover -whence came the sound.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are due about mid-day, the chief -says," remarked Carl, after a brief pause in -their conversation. "What time do you -make it now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A quarter of an hour yet," responded -Max, consulting his chronometer, and making -a rapid calculation to allow for the difference -in longitude, for he still carried Central -European time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And they're sure to follow the 30th parallel?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it's their shortest route," replied -the wireless expert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then they should pass within three or -four miles from here," observed Carl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, unless they've drifted a little out -of their course."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we should hear them on the vibrator -even if they were fifty miles away in a silent -land like this."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Undoubtedly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen! Can you hear anything?" exclaimed -Max in a slightly nervous tone, after -a brief silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I don't think so, but those fellows -over there must be quiet; they're getting -excited about the promised loot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Go and tell them, Carl; you speak the -best Arabic."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The German left the drum for a moment -and after expostulating for a while with the -sheik, he gained his point and the word was -passed along for silence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Arabs were greatly mystified by this -strange instrument, as well as by those aerial -wires affixed to the trees, and most of all -by that strange, weird machine, hidden away -behind the sand-proof curtains of the little -camouflaged hangar, like the sacred ark in -the holy of holies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With wondering eyes they had on occasion -watched the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> mount to the heavens -with marvellous ease and descend with like -facility--bearing its human burden aloft to the -very skies and bringing them safely to earth -again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>These strange gods which the infidels had -brought with them to their desert home were -greatly feared even by these brave, proud -men, and it was only the largesse and the -promise of still better things to come, from -the great white chief, which prevented these -sons of the desert from leaving this dreaded -spot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The scout pilot, having obtained his wish, -now returned to the instrument, for his -companion was already beckoning to him. -Evidently the approach of the airship had -been indicated by the sensitive drum, but, -ere Carl reached the margin of the pool, he -noticed the Rittmeister emerge from the -hangar where he had been decoding the -message, and wave for him to approach.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, Rittmeister?" he called.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The message. Come here a moment!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Max, who thought that a faint sound he -had just heard from the instrument might -portend the distant approach of the liner, -left the drum, for he knew there would be -plenty of time, and joined the other two by -the hangar on the other side of the pool, -for he also was curious about the cryptic -message, which he had taken earlier in the day.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was it from the professor?" he asked -in his first breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, he is in for a bad time, I fear," -replied the Rittmeister. "He will not be -able to communicate again for some time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the matter?" asked the others -simultaneously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, Keane and Sharpe are on his -track again. You know the rascals; they -were secret service pilots and spies during -the war, and now they are scout pilots in the -British aerial police. They're the left-hand -and the right hand of that confounded Tempest, -the little tin god at Scotland Yard, and -the brains of the aerial police."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel! I hope he can outwit them," -exclaimed Carl. "They're keen birds, both -of them, and they have some exploits to their -credit."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If he can't, then the length of our existence -is the capacity of those remaining eight -cylinders of uranis," ventured Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the length of the rope round our -necks as well," murmured his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They all laughed at this, but Spitzer looked -keenly for an instant into the eyes of the -two pilots, as though he would search their -innermost souls, and make sure that they -would be game to the end. But they -evidently read his thoughts also, for Max -announced:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all right, Rittmeister; we're not going -back upon our word. The die is cast!" and -Carl in a brave attempt at another sally, -added:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The cast is--die!" at which they all -laughed again, as the old sea pirates laughed -before they blew up their ship, when they -saw that the game was up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant their thoughts were -diverted to another subject. It was already -mid-day, for the sun by his altitude announced -it. As they approached the drum, they -could now distinctly hear the hum of mighty -engines though still forty miles away, recorded -in that delicate instrument, and one thought, -uttered or unexpressed, came instinctively to -each mind:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aircraft approaching!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-phantom-bird"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER IX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE PHANTOM BIRD</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Airship or aeroplane?" asked von Spitzer, -a moment later, as Carl closely watched the -delicate recorder, which, as the vibration -caused by the sound waves increased, -indicated not only the type of craft, but the type -of engine by which it was driven, and also -whether the engine was running with or -without defects. So wonderful are the secrets -which man has already wrested from nature.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Airship, decidedly!" replied Carl, after -a second's pause. "Full-powered too; there -are four or five Sunbeam-Maori engines, and -all running smoothly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Her position?" demanded the Rittmeister next.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Forty-four miles due east," came the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then it must be the aerial mail from -India; she is just about due."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is she steering due west?" the chief asked.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"About two degrees south, that's all," -replied Carl. "She's evidently getting a -little drift from the upper currents."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good!" remarked the chief airman. -"Then if she continues steering steady, she -should pass within a couple of miles of us in -another twenty or twenty-five minutes. Come -along, Carl, it is time for us to get away. -You will remain on the ground, Max. You -have a difficult job. As soon as we get -away, see that the tents are struck, and all -men and horses placed under cover of the trees."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now sound the alarm signal, and -help us to get out the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>; it is going to -bite to-day," ordered the Rittmeister as he -strode away, exclaiming,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who wouldn't be a king of the desert? -For one day at least it will be, '</span><em class="italics">Deutschland, -Deutschland ueber alles</em><span>!'"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The alarm being sounded, all the occupants -of the little camp went to quarters, just as -they had been rehearsed during the last few -days. The camouflaged fabric was stripped -from the little hangar, and the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> -was set free to bite once more. She was -released from the ropes which held her down -and turned head to wind. The steel folding -wings were snapped back into their sockets -and made secure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you ready, Carl?" asked the chief, -as he completed his rapid survey of the -machine, during which neither the propellers, -planes, tail-fin nor rudder escaped -his scrutiny.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aye, ready, sir!" came the reply from -the junior, who was now seated in the armour-plated -conning-tower, testing the controls and -examining his machine guns.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without a moment's delay the chief -clambered up through the little trapdoor and -joined his companion. Then he paused for a -moment whilst he swept the eastern horizon -with his powerful binoculars.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot see her yet, Carl," he said. Then -turning to Max, who stood by the starboard -engine, he shouted, "Just try to pick up her -position again from the drum. She may have -changed her course a trifle."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Gotha pilot dashed off on his errand, -and after carefully listening for a moment, he -returned and said, "East-south-east, about -four degrees east."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good, she'll pass about five miles south of -us then; but she's not visible yet," replied -Spitzer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"She's getting a good deal of drift, I -fancy," returned Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, we'll get up into the blue and -wait for her," said the airman, and waving -his hand for the signal to stand clear, he -pressed the self-starting knob, and instantaneously -both engines sprang into life, and the -whirring propellers started up such a dust -storm from the loose sand of the desert that -the Arabs were startled, and rushed to secure -their frightened steeds.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Within ten seconds the rev.-counter -indicated two thousand five hundred, and, -sufficient power for flying speed being thus -obtained, Max deftly removed the chocks from -the wheels, and this new type of desert steed -dashed off across the sands, and leapt into -the air, amid the cheers of the astonished -Bedouins.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful!" -cried the Arab chief, as he raised his -hands imploringly towards heaven. "It is -the bird of destiny, my children, the phantom -of the desert!" and Max could scarcely -restrain a smile as he beheld the momentary -fear which had seized these strong, fierce men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment, however, they were all -busy striking the tents and bringing horses, -equipment, and all the camp effects under the -shadow of the trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, appearing exactly -like a huge grey phantom bird, soared -away in a north-westerly direction, lest it -should be observed by the occupants of the -approaching liner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And in a few minutes, rising rapidly by steep -spirals, and an almost vertical climb, it had -disappeared from sight. Soon it soared over -the camp again at ten thousand feet, and -appeared but a speck in the cloudless blue, -like the faintest suspicion of a tiny cirrus cloud.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Shortly afterwards a cry from one of the -natives directed the attention of all present -towards another tiny streak in the opposite -direction. His sharp, piercing eyes had been -the first to discern the approaching airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Allah, the Compassionate!" again began -the sheik, and Max, fearing that this strange -visitant might affect their nerves, called out -aloud in the best Arabic he could muster:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Allah be praised! This stranger carries -gold and rare jewels across the desert. He -must pay tribute to the sons of Jebel and Shomer!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This appeal to their cupidity instantly -changed the demeanour of these fanatics. -Their fear departed. Even when, later, they -heard the roar of the powerful engines which -propelled the airship, their one thought was -of plunder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The treasures of twenty Damascus' -caravans are in that great airship," cried -Max, fulfilling with considerable skill the -part which Spitzer had allotted to him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Bedouins, whose feelings were now -raised to the highest pitch of excitement, -began to fear lest, after all, so rich a prize -might be lost, and they eagerly searched -the skies for the phantom airman, as they -called the Rittmeister, and shouted:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where is the phantom bird? Where -is the great white sheik?" and they -would have dashed out into the desert on -their fiery steeds, for they were already -mounted, but the German restrained them, -saying:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is no need to hunt the quarry. The -great white sheik will bring down the airship -on this very spot. Be ready, when I give the -signal, to surround it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another anxious moment passed, and the -airship, travelling rapidly at some three -thousand feet above the ground, would have -passed them by some few miles to the south, -but at that instant, the Indian judge caught -sight of the picturesque oasis with its cluster -of palms far down below, and said to his -soldier companion:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look, Colonel Wilson! Just look at that -beauty spot after two hundred miles of yellow -desert."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, wonderful!" exclaimed the delighted -soldier. "It is a little garden planted by -Nature in the solitary wastes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How picturesque! I should like to -land there," returned the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us ask the captain at least to change -his course slightly, so that we may pass over -it and photograph it as a souvenir of our -pleasant journey," said the officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At that moment the captain, passing down -the gangway, overheard the remark, and being -eager to oblige his distinguished passengers, -he telephoned his orders to the navigating -officer, who slightly altered the ship's -course, so as to pass almost directly over the -oasis.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was while they were engaged in delightful -contemplation of this emerald isle embedded -in the gold of the desert, that another object -attracted the attention of the judge. Chancing -to glance upwards, he caught sight of a -silvery speck six thousand feet above them, -and a little way on their beam.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"See, a tiny cloudlet in the sky; the first -I have ever seen in crossing these deserts."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A cloud, where?" asked his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There, right up in the blue vault of -heaven," said the judge, pointing out the -speck which now seemed to have grown larger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, it is a bird; some great vulture of -the desert. It seems to be diving right down -upon us! These vultures, I hear, have often -attacked the airships in the desert. It -evidently takes us for some new kind of prey."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A bird!" cried the captain, who had now -joined the speakers. "Let me see it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There it is!" cried the two men simultaneously, -pointing out the grey, swift phantom.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain saw the bird-like object, and -one glance sufficed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is an aeroplane," he said, and there was -just a touch of uneasiness in his voice.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"An aeroplane?" echoed the others, and -an instant later, viewing it through his glasses, -the colonel added:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, so it is; but I say, Captain, what -a peculiar type of aeroplane! It is one of the -patrols, I expect, come to meet us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Your glasses, if you please, for one -moment," asked the captain, and he almost -snatched them from the hands of the officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant a violent expletive burst -from the captain's lips.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Leaving his companions, he dashed down -the corridor to the wireless operator's room. -The operator was already engaged in -conversation with the aerial visitor by means of -the wireless telephone, and the captain took in -the situation at a glance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What does he want? Who is he?" -blurted out the skipper.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-brigand-of-the-eastern-skies"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER X</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE BRIGAND OF THE EASTERN SKIES</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Someone has signalled us to stop, Captain!" -said the wireless operator.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who is it?" demanded the irate skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He will not declare himself, sir!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hand me that receiver, Robson!" and the -commander, clamping the ear-piece of the -wireless telephone to his ear, asked of the -intruder, "Who are you that thus dares to -order me to stop on a lawful voyage?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is I, Sultan von Selim, Air-King of the -Hamadian Desert, who orders you to stop!" -came the reply from the aerial raider, who -now rode just a little way above the large -airship, and on the starboard side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then I refuse!" thundered the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will do so at your peril," came the -quiet, cool reply, which rather disconcerted -the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will call up the patrols, you brigand!" -continued the commander of the liner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One word to the patrols and I will blow -your wireless to pieces. I have two guns -already trained on it," replied the air-king.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I dare you to do it!" replied the brave -skipper. Then, turning to the operator, he -said, "Send the S.O.S. with the latitude and -longitude to the patrols. Smartly there, -Robson."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is that raider we heard of at Delhi, -but he can't touch us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The raider, however, had caught the -sentence, or part of it, and he understood the -order. The next instant a burst of fire from -a machine gun, trained with wonderful -accuracy, blew the main part of the wireless -apparatus to pieces, and rendered it perfectly -useless for either receiving or transmitting. -How the captain and the operator escaped -injury or death will for ever remain a mystery.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Seizing a megaphone, the former dashed out -of the cabin, down the keel corridor and the -narrow slip-way, to the central touring gondola -on the starboard side, and, shaking his fist at -the raider, who sailed calmly alongside about -a hundred feet away, shouted through the -instrument: "You brigand! You shall hang -for this!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A mocking laugh, drowned by the roar of -the engines, which still continued full speed -ahead, was the only reply. Evidently this -mad airman was enjoying the fun immensely. -At any rate he appeared very careless of the -other's threats.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean it, you felon!" roared the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you going to heave to?" came the -the reply through the raider's megaphone.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, certainly not!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then you must take the consequence!" -came the mocking taunt, and the next -instant, "Rep-r-r-r-r-r-r-r!" came another -burst from that deadly machine-gun, which -seemed so effective every time it spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This time the starboard engine, a 250-H.P. motor, -conked out entirely, and, for a moment, -there was danger of fire in the gondola, owing -to the petrol-feed being smashed in the general -break-up.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This made the captain think furiously. He -now recognised, for the first time, that he was -absolutely at the mercy of this strange -highwayman of the air. Evidently he was a -determined character, a master criminal, and -the skipper looked round for some means -of defence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was certainly an old machine-gun -aboard the airship, but it had never been used -and was not even mounted, for it was -believed that a peaceful trader would never -need it. The police patrols constituted -the real defence of the trade routes, and -even with them a few smugglers were the -chief offenders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain's eyes were fixed for the next -few seconds on the wonderful machine which -sailed along so easily and so quietly. Once, -he had noticed, when the raider made a circuit -of the great liner, that the machine had shot -ahead at twice or thrice the speed of the -</span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span>. The armoured conning-tower, over -the top of which the heads of the pilot and -his companion could just be seen, gave the -skipper an impression of strength, against -which he knew that even if he could have -replied with a machine gun, the bullets would -have pattered harmlessly against the sides, -and fallen away like rain-drops.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was in a quandary, this brave air-skipper. -He had missed his chance of calling -up the patrols. Yet, how could he, a British -captain, surrender to some foreign marauder, -or perhaps even to a British renegade; for he -knew not as yet who this bold fellow was. -Then he thought of his passengers, those -distinguished guests committed to his charge, -and last of all of the valuable lading: that -consignment of gold for the vaults of the -Bank of England.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By heaven, it's the gold they're after!" -he exclaimed. "I never thought of it before. -They've had the news ahead of us and -they've waited for the airship in this -out-of-the-world spot. Confound them, but -they shan't get it if I can help it!" and the -captain nerved himself to still further -resistance, though he felt it was hopeless, -unless some outlying patrol should come up -quickly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The raider seemed to have read his thoughts, -for he sailed close up again, and shouted -through his megaphone, "For the last time, -Captain, will you heave to?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No--o!" the courageous man replied, -though this time his voice wavered a bit, for -he wondered what devilry the stranger -would attempt next.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He had not long to wait, for the pirate -suddenly banked his machine, turned swiftly -outwards, and circling round till he came up -level with the great twin-engine in the rear -gondola, which drove the giant propeller -near the rudder, he opened once more a -terrific burst of fire which instantly put both -engines out of action.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This almost brought the huge liner to a -stop. At any rate, she now made more -leeway than headway, for the only remaining -engines which could now be used were those -in the foremost gondola and port centre cabin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stop!" signalled the captain to the -remaining engineers in charge of those engines.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the next instant the huge, looming -mass, with her engines silent, lay there -helpless, levering away to windward, -shorn of her pride, and with the wreckage -hanging loose from her rear and central -gondolas.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Another surprise that now awaited the -crew and passengers of the air-liner was to -see the phantom raider careering wildly -around the beaten giant at enormous speed, -in almost perfect silence, though his two -propellers raced wildly as he dipped, spun -and rolled to celebrate his victory, and -to show off his amazing powers to the victims.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good heavens!" ejaculated the captain -as he watched all this. "It was only too -true, then, what we heard at Delhi."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You mean about the silent engines and -the speed of three hundred miles an hour," -added the navigating officer, who now stood -by the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. It's some amazing conspiracy. I -cannot help admiring the rascals, though I -should like to hang the pair of them."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hullo! here he comes again. I wonder -what he wants this time," and the next -instant the raider throttled down, and came -close up to the gondola, shouting as he did -so in perfectly good English:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Start that port engine, please, and bring -her to earth by that cluster of palm-trees -over there."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What more do you want with us?" -replied the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must see your passports, and examine -your cargo for contraband."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Eh, what's that?" exclaimed the amazed -commander. "What does he want to -examine our passports for?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We haven't any," remarked the navigating officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And why the deuce is he to search for -contraband, I should like to know?" groaned -the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you hear what I said?" called the -raider, who now appeared to be getting -angry at the delay.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," growled the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then bring her down at once, and let -out that mooring cable!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And as there was no apparent help for it, -and not a single patrol had yet hove in -sight, the captain of the liner reluctantly -complied, wasting as much time as he dared -in the operation.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-air-king-s-tribute"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE AIR-KING'S TRIBUTE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Far down below, the Arab sheik and his -party, ambushed amid the waving palms of -the oasis, had watched with keen and eager -eyes this thrilling encounter in the heavens -between the phantom-bird and the great -leviathan. To them it seemed impossible -that the aeroplane, sometimes diminished by -distance to a tiny speck, could overcome the -mighty airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the fight continued, and they heard the -rat-tat-tat of the machine-gun, sometimes -their doubts and fears overcame them, and -many were the cries that went up to Allah -the Compassionate, the Faithful, etc. But -when they saw that at last the great white -sheik had won and the disabled liner was -slowly coming lower and lower, their pent-up -feelings gave place to wild excitement, and -shouts of,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Allah be praised! The bird of destiny -has won! The great white chief has -triumphed!" while others, more practical, and -also more piratical, exclaimed: "Allah is -sending down the treasures of heavens into -the lap of the faithful. Praise be to Allah -and to Mohammed his Prophet!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was with some difficulty that Max -restrained these wild men from dashing out -in their frenzy to capture and loot the huge, -lowering mass that now loomed but a little -way above them. He began to fear that -they would not wait for the pre-arranged -signal, and he urged the Arab sheik to restrain -them, and to repeat the orders that the -occupants of the airship must not be touched.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nearer and nearer came the huge mass, -steering badly and veering round in attempting -to gain the lee-side of the trees, lest she -should be totally wrecked in the mooring. -Two hundred feet of cable suddenly dropped -from her bow, and, when it touched the -ground, Max gave the signal, and with a wild -shout these fierce Bedouin horsemen suddenly -broke from cover, and galloped into the open.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ye saints!" gasped the Indian judge, -when he beheld this wild tournament of -galloping horsemen, brandishing their rifles -and long spears. "Are we to be eaten -alive?" Less than an hour ago he had -expressed a pious wish to visit this peaceful -garden in the desert; now, it was too near -to be pleasant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All hands to the cable!" shouted Max -in Arabic, and very quickly both horses and -men were struggling with the stout hawser.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This way," shouted the Gotha pilot. -"Take it round and round these three trees; -they should stand the strain unless the wind -gets stronger," and selecting a small group of -trees on the leeward side of the grove, he -very quickly had the cable made fast in such -a way that the leviathan of seven hundred -feet in length swung easily head to wind, like -a ship riding at anchor and swinging with the tide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then the tribesmen, kept well in hand, -surrounded the prize, keeping some thirty -paces distant, for they had not yet quite -overcome their fears. Never before had such -a thing been seen resting on the yellow sands -of the Hamadian Desert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the gondolas of the </span><em class="italics">Empress of India</em><span> -came to rest quietly on the ground, the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> descended in a rapid spiral, touched -the sands lightly and taxied up to the fringe -of trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, to the utter amazement of the -occupants of the dirigible, some of whom were -already descending from the gondolas, -a couple of men, wearing the loose flowing -robe of the desert, including that distinctive -mark of the Mohammedan world, the fez, -leapt from the machine and approached the -airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Snakes alive!" ejaculated the colonel; -"but what have we here?" his eyes fixed -upon the two men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some person of note, evidently," -remarked his friend the judge, as he saw the -foremost of these individuals mount a richly -caparisoned horse which was held in readiness -for him, and approach in a dignified and -almost royal manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This king of the desert is evidently some -European renegade who is challenging the -right of other nations to cross his domain -without his permission," said the soldier.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is some daring pilot, at any rate," -replied the justiciary.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder now what he intends to do with -us," observed the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, he intends to plunder us, of course," -replied his companion. "What else could -be his motive?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captives were not long to be left in -doubt as to the proceedings of this daring -freebooter. Raising the megaphone which -he had used in the air so effectively, he -shouted in perfectly good English:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Abandon airship!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And to make this order immediately effective, -the desert king ordered Max to see that -every member of the great liner, passengers -and crew, were immediately assembled before -him. The navigating officer and the captain -were the last to leave the vessel; they did so -unwillingly, and not without a measure of -compulsion at the point of a revolver. The -skipper's looks as he fixed them upon this -desert freebooter astride the fiery steed, -conveyed to the brigand much more than -mere words could have expressed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fixing him with his keen, malicious eyes, -the pirate said: "Are you the captain of -this vessel?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am," replied the skipper in surly tones.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Show me your bill of lading."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bill of lading?" echoed the captive. -"You must hunt for it if you want it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The self-styled king of the desert frowned. -He knew that he was up against an English -skipper, and that he must adopt other -measures to gain his end. Without lifting -his gaze from the commander of the air-liner, -or flinching a muscle, he replied firmly, "One -word from me, Captain, and your life would -be forfeit. You would swing from that tree -by one of your own cables."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know that, brigand," replied the -prisoner. "Get a cable and carry out your -threat; the rope that will hang you is not so -very far away, either."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well," exclaimed the German. -"Then, I need only give the order to these, -my faithful subjects, and the whole of your -valuable cargo will be strewn on the sands, -and your airship will be alight. I do not -propose to adopt those measures unless you -compel me. I will give you five minutes to -decide." As the pirate uttered these words -in a cool, nonchalant manner, he glanced at -the European emblem on his wrist, a gold, -gem-studded wristlet watch with luminous dial.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I deny your right to interfere with a -peaceful trader," blurted out the captain, -when he saw the full force of the two -alternatives which had been offered to him. He -was wondering, moreover, how much the -brigand knew about the presence of the -specie on the vessel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You deny my right, do you?" returned -the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Who are you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am Sultan von Selim, Air-King of the -Hamadian Desert. I told you that once -before when I first challenged you in the air."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who made you king?" snorted the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>There was silence for the space of ten -seconds, during which time the brigand -consulted his watch again, then replied:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Allies made me king, particularly -you </span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> English when you drove me -from my Fatherland with those impossible -peace terms. King I am, and king I will -remain, of all the aerial regions where I choose -to abide, until there comes a better man -who can beat me in the air. And you, -Captain, of all men, must know from what you -have already seen that my powers in that -realm are considerable."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain, having cooled somewhat after -this outburst, had to admit to this German -irreconcilable that there was certainly some -truth in his statement about being king of -the air. Certain things were beginning to -dawn upon this English captain, and he was -now wondering how far it would be wise to -humour the brigand. He added, however, -to his admission, the following words, "You -are only king by might!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ha! ha!" laughed the outlaw, "but -that also is some admission. My position is -precisely that of the British in India or -Egypt. Withdraw your soldiers from these -two countries and what becomes of your -government there? So am I King of the -Hamadian Desert till a stronger man comes. -When that time comes one of us must die. -There is no room for two kings, even in the -desert. Till then I am supreme. But come, -captain, four minutes have passed already. -Your bill of lading, quickly now, for we are -but wasting time, and these my subjects"--and -here the brigand waved his hand towards -the restive Arabs--"or rather I should say -my customs' officials, are waiting to examine -your cargo, and to levy the king's tribute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain looked around first upon -his own followers and then upon the -impatient Bedouins--the vultures around the -carcase.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I could have brought your ship down in -flames, but I preferred a milder method," -continued the outlaw, as he watched the -seconds of the last minute being ticked away -on his jewelled watch.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But helium will not burn!" returned -the captain smartly. "That was beyond -your powers."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A mocking, sardonic laugh came from the -robber chief as the Englishman uttered these words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Would you like to see it burn?" he almost hissed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain faltered in his reply; he was -not quite so decisive as he had been. -Evidently there was some sense of humour, if -not much, about this irreconcilable German.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here, Carl!" cried the bandit. "Detach -one of those nineteen ballonettes from the -airship."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir," replied the subordinate, -stepping up to the king and saluting smartly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Take it away to leeward there, and show -this dull Englishman how he may learn -chemistry and science even from inhabitants -of the Hamadian Desert. Here, take this, -you will need it," and the chief handed to his -assistant a small cylindrical tube with which -to carry out his orders.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Turning next to the Englishman, he -observed, "Know, you dullard, that a small -admixture of a secret gas, which is known -only to three living men, will make your -renowned helium flare like hydrogen. You -shall see it in a short space of time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Recall your man, I will take your word -for it, Sultan!" exclaimed the captain, who -now felt that it must be so, for he was -already bewildered by the strange things -which he had witnessed that day, and he -had no desire to see this experiment carried out.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You believe me, then," returned the -air-king, who seemed particularly to relish this -interview with the Englishman, especially -with this group of celebrities within earshot, -for they had listened eagerly to every word -which he had spoken. And the German -knew that though his days might be -numbered, as indeed he felt they were, yet his -fame would be greatly enhanced by the -episodes of this day, for vanity was not the -least among his failings.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once more he glanced at his watch; for -the allotted space of time had nearly run.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How now, Englishman!" he exclaimed -in a harsher tone. "The bill of lading, where -is it?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The chief purser, receiving the captain's -nod, at once advanced towards the regal -horseman, handed him a bundle of papers and -said: "Here, sir, is the document you desire."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-maharajah-s-choice"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE MAHARAJAH'S CHOICE</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A dramatic episode followed the examination -of the airship's bill of lading by the </span><em class="italics">pseudo</em><span> -monarch and his so-called chancellor of the -exchequer, Carl, who aided his master in the task.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Item one. What does that consist of?" -asked the brigand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mails. His Britannic Majesty's mails," -replied the chancellor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where from?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"From India for Egypt and London," -replied Carl, maintaining a grave and solemn -deportment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm! They may pass when the usual -tribute is paid," remarked the bandit in -serious tones, as though he had delivered -himself of some weighty pronouncement.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The judge looked at the colonel with raised -eyebrows when he heard this strange decision, -but the captain, forgetting his position for a -moment, blurted out:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tribute indeed? When did the King of -England pay tribute for his mails to be carried -across the Hamadian desert?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The air-king eyed the speaker with apparent -amazement, mingled with a touch of scorn and -pity, then quietly observed:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That is the very point, Captain. There -has been far too much laxity in this respect -in the past. The liberties of the small nations -to make their own laws, and possess their own -lands in peace, have been greatly endangered -of late. It is mere brigandage for a great -power to over-ride the native interests of -small communities. But from to-day this -brigandage must cease, at any rate over the -territories where I rule."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain could find no reply to this -sally of the desert king's, and, while a smile -played about the corners of his mouth, he -looked beyond this robber chief, in his gaudy -trappings, to where the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> lay -squatting like an ugly toad upon the sands.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At length the monarch resumed his -cross-examination with these words: "Come, -Captain, will you pay tribute for the transit -of mails across my territory, or will you not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will not!" replied the skipper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a flash of fire in his tones the brigand -ordered: "Take the first ten sacks of mails -out into the desert and burn them at once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It shall be done, O chief," replied Max, -who immediately detailed some of the natives -to carry the order into effect, when the captain, -urged to it by the judge, asked:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is the amount of the tribute?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ten thousand pounds in English gold," -came the immediate reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot pay it," returned the captain. -"It is mere plunder," though the judge pointed -out to the commander quietly that it would -probably be more profitable to pay it and to -get away with the mails in a damaged airship, -than to leave the mails behind to be lost or -destroyed in the desert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He will take the gold anyhow, when he -comes to it on the bill of lading," added the -colonel, "though devil a penny I'd pay him."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It isn't my money," argued the captain, -"so there's an end of it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"How now, Englishmen! We are wasting -time. Will you pay the sum demanded?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, I will not!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very good. Get out the rest of the mails -and burn them at once!" ordered the -monarch, and a couple of minutes afterwards -the first bags of mails, sprayed with some -inflammatory liquid, were blazing furiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Item two!" called the desert king.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gold. Nineteen boxes of bullion for the -Bank of England," called out the chancellor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gold?" echoed the air-fiend, as though -he were utterly unconscious of the presence of -such a commodity, in face of the captain's -refusal to pay over a trifling ten thousand -pounds to secure right of way for his mails.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. Nearly one hundred thousand -pounds in specie."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I thought we had prohibited the importation -of gold into these regions, chancellor, -because of its evil effects upon the minds of -the people."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir," returned the chancellor. "We -decided to abolish its importation altogether -on that account, save only as tribute money -for the royal chest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Exactly," replied the bandit, in a tone of -assumed moral injury. Then, turning to the -Englishman, he said: "You must know, -Captain, that most wars are caused by gold, -and by the unbrotherly strife which it foments. -You must know also that all wars are -sustained by it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I agree with you for once," returned -the prisoner, boldly, wondering at the ease -with which this confirmed brigand could turn -moralist.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then what must be done with the gold, -sir?" asked the chancellor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Every ounce of gold on the airship must -be confiscated," exclaimed the king of robbers -as he uplifted his hands in pious horror. "Let -it be removed at once."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well, sir," and this second operation, -which was more pleasing still to the waiting -Arabs, was immediately put into effect.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Item three!" called out the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ten boxes of valuables, including the -personal property and belongings of one of -the passengers," came the reply.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What, do they belong to one person?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is his name?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Maharajah of Bangapore, sir," -returned the wise man of the exchequer, whose -task promised to be an easy one in the future, -judging by the vast amount of spoil which had -already fallen into his lap.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Maharajah of Bangapore?" repeated -the monarch, raising his hand to his forehead -for an instant, as though he would recall some -long forgotten episode. "Is he amongst the -company present?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I believe so."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ask him to stand forth."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the Indian prince, hearing his name -called in English, stepped forth and -confronted his old enemy of the Mesopotamian -campaign. When their eyes met a flash of -fire, more eloquent than words, revealed -what was in each man's mind. The prince -expected to be tortured to death and was -prepared for it, for, like all his people, he -was brave as well as fierce. At last the -robber spoke.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Prince Jaipur, you are an enemy of mine," -he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I know it!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you expect mercy after the way your -tribesmen massacred my men at Kerbela?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The maharajah shrugged his shoulders, but -disdained to reply to this upstart robber -chief who styled himself a king.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you know that your life is in my -hands?" exclaimed the bandit fiercely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am not afraid of anything you can do, -brigand!" hissed the prince, and his voice -sounded not unlike the angry, venomous -snake in the jungle. Another man might -have quailed before those glaring eyes and -those hissing tones. But the German quavered not.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will give you a kingly choice," he said, -"as you are the scion of half a hundred kings -in your illustrious line."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I ask no favours of a common Bedouin -robber," snarled the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Listen. I will give you the choice of -drinking this deadly poison, or of being -dropped ten thousand feet from my aeroplane. -Which will you take?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The prince shuddered slightly, and glanced -up into the cloudless blue, as though -anticipating what such a death might mean, then -looked at the small phial which the brigand -held forth in his hand.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, ten thousand feet!" continued the -German, as he noted the anxious look which -overcast the Hindoo's face for an instant, as -he gazed up into the sky. "Then I will loop -the machine, and, with your hands pinioned, -you will be thrown out and drop, drop---- Which -will you choose?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will drink the poison," replied the -prince, who had now regained his usual -composure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Very well. Let him be securely tied to -that tree to await our pleasure," and the -maharajah was instantly seized by three or -four powerful Arabs, and secured to a tree -some twenty paces away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What about his valuables, sir?" asked Carl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you examined them?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what do they consist of?" asked the king.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"His jewels, his gold and silver plate, -studded with rare gems of priceless value. -They are worth five times the value of the -specie," whispered Carl.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what else? You said there were ten boxes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Part of his regalia and numerous ceremonial robes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are all confiscated!" announced -the monarch. "The sun will set in another -two hours, and at sunset the Indian must die."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is nothing else, sir, of much value. -All the gold and this personal property has -been secured. Here is the list of passengers, -for there are scarcely any passports held by -the strangers," and here Carl, who had paid a -visit to the aerial, whispered something to his -chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good! Then, in your opinion, chancellor, -sufficient tribute has now been obtained -from these strangers who have crossed our -territory without permission," said the bandit -aloud for all to hear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then let them board the airship at once. -She will be cast adrift in ten minutes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this there was a scramble for the -gondolas, and very quickly all, save the captain -and the navigating officer, were aboard. The -judge and the colonel, however, prevailed -upon by the maharajah's men, descended -again to intercede for the life of the Indian.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have taken the man's jewels," said -the colonel. "At least you might spare his -life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You may have his body," remarked the -airman, "but he must first drink the phial," -and a stern look appeared once more in the -robber-bandit's eyes. On this point he was -unbending, and remained like adamant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The airship is ready now, sir," said the -captain, making a final appeal for the life -of the maharajah. "I should like to report, -at any rate, when I do complete my journey, -that all my passengers are safe, though I -expect to be two days late with only two -engines and this beam wind. Once more, -will you release the Indian?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bring him before me!" commanded the -monarch at last, with a bored expression, -and the Indian, still bound hand and foot, -was brought before the pseudo king.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Unloose his hands," came the order.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They ask me to spare your life, Indian -dog!" continued the robber, addressing the -prince in contemptuous tones. "If you -sue for it yourself, you may have it, -otherwise..." and, instead of completing his -sentence, the speaker shook the little phial -in the face of the prisoner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I will not ask my life of you, serpent!" -hissed the captive. "From you I will accept -no favours. Robbed of my family heirlooms, -my jewels and my household gods, I prefer -to die. Give me the poison, and I will show -you how a real prince of the royal line of -Indus can die!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For one awful instant, the desert chief glared -at his enemy, who had dared to refuse his -generous offer. Then, in angry tones, he cried:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Indian dog! I offered you mercy, but -you spurn the gift of Allah and ask for death. -Then take this and drink it!" and he tossed -him the phial.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Stay!" cried half a dozen voices from -amongst the group of passengers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But their expostulations were in vain, for, -with an eagerness to hide his disgrace in death, -which only a proud oriental can show, the -prisoner caught the phial, withdrew the small -cork, and drained the contents before his -horrified friends could interfere.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment, the body of the maharajah -lay prostrate upon the sands of the -Hamadian desert.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-missing-airship"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE MISSING AIRSHIP</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Horrified and aghast at the foul deed which -had been done, the passengers and crew of the -air-liner, who had left the gondolas at the cry -of consternation which went up, now crowded -around the fallen prince. Even those fierce -sons of the desert who witnessed the dire act -could not restrain an involuntary shudder, but -they merely shrugged their shoulders, or -remarked: "Kismet! It is the will of -Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful," -and after some such invocation, their piety -appeared to be satisfied, for they immediately -returned to their treasure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain and his friends were loud in -their protestations and imprecations after -their first and futile attempts to rouse the -prostrate man, for they believed him to be -already dead. They glared at the pseudo -caliph, who appeared to be entirely unmoved -by the heart-rending spectacle. And if, at -that moment, any weapon of offence had -remained in their possession, it would -certainly have been turned upon the offender, -whom they now regarded as a murderer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But every weapon had been carefully -removed from the air-liner and her -complement; even the unmounted machine-gun -and the one box of ammunition placed -aboard on her first voyage, were now in -possession of the bandits.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain in particular was furious, and -he turned upon the German fiercely, shook -his fist at him and cried, "One day you will -pay for this, sirrah! The arm of Britain is -long enough to reach you!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A mocking laugh was the only reply which -the German gave. Then, looking once more -at his jewelled watch, he signified that the -time for the airship's departure had almost -arrived.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Three minutes more and I shall cut her -adrift," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But the maharajah?" asked the captain. -"What can we do with him; we cannot leave -his body to the vultures."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! Take him away with you. He -will live again in seven hours; it was only -morphine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Bewildered, but yet relieved by these words, -they quickly ascertained that the prostrate -man was not actually dead, and they hurriedly -placed him aboard the airship and administered -emetics.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us get him away at once," urged the -Indian judge; "perhaps the higher altitudes -will quickly dissipate the effects of the -morphine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you ready there?" shouted the -caliph, who had ridden with his escort up to -the central gondola.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," came the response.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then remember, the next time that you -invade my dominions without my permission -you will not escape so easily. As you know -to your cost, the King of the Hamadian desert -is able to defend himself and his people, even -from the insults of a great power."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain made a slight bow, half ironical, -in response to this kingly assertion, and -asked,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is there any communication which your -majesty would like to have delivered to my -Government?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes," replied the monarch, drawing from -under his loose robe a sealed packet, which -he appeared to have had in readiness for the -occasion. It was addressed as follows:--</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>"To Colonel John Tempest, D.S.O., M.C.. -<br />Chief Commissioner of the British Aerial -<br />Police, Scotland Yard, London,"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>and across the top left-hand corner it was -marked "</span><em class="italics">Confidential</em><span>," and also "</span><em class="italics">To be -delivered personally by the Captain of the -Air-Liner, Empress of Britain</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The skipper, apparently bewildered for a -moment by this strange request, for it seemed -to him like a letter from a condemned man -to his executioner, looked the packet over -for a few seconds. Noting the great red seal -on the back, he read the imprint embossed on -the huge wafer. It read as follows, and was -circular in form:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"From Sultan von Selim, Air-King of the -Hamadian desert," and the crest was a -scorpion, with the solitary word in Latin, -"</span><em class="italics">Scorpio</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The caliph waited patiently until the -captain had examined the exterior of the packet, -and recovered from his amazement, and then -said, "Before you depart, Captain, you must -promise me that you will deliver that packet -in person to Colonel Tempest, who is not -unknown to me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain did not answer for a few seconds, -for he was wondering what new conspiracy -was this. He was wondering also whether -the conveyance of this packet was not after -all the real reason for the forced descent of -the airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you promise, Captain?" asked his -interrogator, looking at him fixedly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I promise."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On your honour?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"On my word of honour, I promise to -deliver it."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then good-bye. I will 'wireless' the -patrols to look out for you."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you," replied the skipper acidly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the next moment, seeing that only -his own accomplices and reputed subjects -were left on the ground, the Sultan gave the -order, "Let go!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the huge cable was slipped, and the -leviathan left her moorings at once. The -north-west wind carried her clear of the trees, -and, as she had left nearly two tons of her -most precious cargo behind, she rose rapidly, -then started falteringly on her long journey to -Cairo as her two remaining Sunbeam-Maori -engines burst into life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The sun, which had shone with pitiless -might upon the Arabian desert that day, was -sinking like a huge red ball beneath the -horizon when the great air-liner, drifting -considerably from her course, but still making -progress in her journey towards Cairo, -disappeared from the watchers' view.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With strange impartiality, inexplicable in -such a robber-bandit, the spoil had been -divided amongst the Bedouins, who, to their -bewilderment and surprise, were now rich, -each one of them, beyond the dreams of -avarice. Their gratitude to Allah, the Giver -of all Good, and to the great white sheik was -unbounded. Never before had their greedy -eyes beheld such treasure; never before had -they gained a prize so easily; and some of them -even wondered whether, after all, Mohammed -had not appeared to the Faithful once more -in the person of the great white sheik.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Long before midnight, however, the last -man, with heavily-laden beast of burden, -had disappeared, swallowed up, as it were, -by the very sands of the desert, so that, when -the full round moon approached the meridian -and changed the gold of the desert to silver, -not a vestige of man or beast remained. And -of the camp, only a few ashes marked the -spot where once a fire had burned. The -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, too, had taken its departure -for an unknown destination, carrying its -mysterious crew far, far away from these -burning sands, for the indomitable -commander knew only too well that the captain -spoke truthfully when he said that the arm -of Britain was very long, and could even -reach to this wild desert land.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Before his departure, however, Heinrich -von Spitzer had sent off his promised message -in laconic terms to the Cairo patrols. It ran -as follows:--</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Air-liner </span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span> with damaged engines -crossing desert towards Cairo. Lat. 29-50 N., -Long. 40-25 E. drifting W.S.W. Wireless -deranged. SCORPIO."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Piece of bad luck, sir!" remarked the -commissioner's assistant at Cairo when he -received the message.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm! She carries the Indian mail, too," -replied his chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and a good deal more, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What else does she carry this trip besides -passengers and mails?" asked the alert -commissioner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That big loading of specie, sir, for the -Bank of England. Nearly a ton of gold, I -believe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew! And isn't the maharajah of -somewhere or other coming on a state visit -to the King also?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, by Jove, so he is! We had a message -this morning saying that he would travel -by the </span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Heaven help us if she comes down in the -desert with that cargo. The Bedouins would -soon make short work of it. The authorities -rely too much upon the patrols for these -long journeys," said the commissioner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We were asked to take particular care over -her this trip. The Delhi patrols accompanied -her part of the way, and she was all right up to -mid-day, but she hasn't spoken to us since. -I have sent out one or two messages and have -had the patrols ready to go out and meet her, -as soon as I heard again from her, giving her -position, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And you've had no further reply till -this message came in?" asked the chief.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way, is her wireless damaged as -well as her engine? I didn't notice."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. The message says: 'Wireless -deranged,'" replied the assistant, re-reading -from the aerogram.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then who the deuce sent the message?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Scorpio---- But who Scorpio is I -can't make out. It must have been some -passing airman, for it cannot have been one -of our own patrols."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew! The mystery deepens. Get the -patrols out at once, and tell them to take -plenty of ammunition with them. It will -take a few rounds to scare off those Bedouin -fiends if once they get round a carcase where -there are such pickings."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't think there's much to worry about -in that respect. Those Arabs have a -wholesome fear of these air-liners, sir. However, -I will get the machines off at once."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="betrayed-by-the-camera"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">BETRAYED BY THE CAMERA</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The order was quickly given for the aerial -police scouts to start. Within a few minutes -the patrols left Cairo and the adjoining -air-stations, and, spreading out fan-wise, they -crossed the Canal, the Gulf of Sinai, the -wild mountainous peninsula which bears -the same name, and the Hedjaz coast, until -they entered the desert regions beyond. Then -they commenced their search by moonlight -for the battered and drifting air-liner over the -trackless, desert lands which lie between the -28th and the 30th parallels.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By a pre-arranged system of Very lights, -the patrols kept each other informed of their -exact positions during the night, and watched -keenly the eastern horizon for any response -which might come from the belated airship.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile the air-liner, fighting manfully -against the freshening wind, made very slow -progress, and drifted still further and further -away from her course. The air was full of -wireless messages both from Cairo and the -patrols, but she was as yet unable to reply -and define her position. The engineer and -wireless operator, however, had been able to -receive some of the messages indistinctly, -and they knew at any rate that help was not -far away.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain was naturally very much -depressed by the turn of events. Somehow -he felt that he had not acted very heroically -in the matter. He had considered the safety -of his distinguished passengers perhaps too much.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"If I had had no passengers to consider, -I would have remained aloft until the whole -liner had been shot to ribbons!" he declared -to himself, when he at last retired for a few -minutes to his private cabin. "They should -never have taken me alive! But there, my -instructions stand--the safety of the passengers -and crew before anything else. I was a -fool, though, to act as I did. I ought to have -sent out the S.O.S. to Cairo without a second's -delay, instead of arguing with this brigand; -but there, whoever expected to encounter -anything like this?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then as his thoughts turned to the wonderful -machine, he endeavoured to docket all the -information he could remember about the -brigand's aeroplane, for he knew that he -would be expected to recount every detail -when he met the court of enquiry, "which," -he murmured, "is as certain to take place -as to-morrow's sunrise.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gee whiz! Three hundred miles an hour, -and silent engines to boot! Phew! nobody -will believe me, anyhow. Still, I shall have -to face the music, and also to explain why I -have lost a hundred thousand pounds of -specie," and the skipper looked down on the -white sands below, and for a moment he -almost contemplated suicide.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wouldn't mind if I could only bring -sufficient information to the authorities to -lead to the speedy capture of the villain, but -I can't. There wasn't time even for a -photograph. The bandit was aware of all -that, and I understand that every camera -was removed from the airship before he let -us go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At that instant there came a slight tap at -the cabin door.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come in!" cried the commander, expecting -some further report from the sick-berth -steward about the condition of the maharajah, -who, half an hour ago, was said to be showing -signs of recovery, owing to the bracing air at -three thousand feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The door opened, and Gadget, the ship's -mascot, appeared. Now Gadget's newest -hobby was photography, and through the -kindness of the photographic officer he had -become the proud possessor of a small pocket -camera.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I got her, sir! Thought you'd like to -see her ... begging your pardon," and -Gadget, with his dirty, but sunny, smiling -face stopped short and pulled his lock of hair -by way of salute, as the captain pulled him up -sharply by snapping out:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Got whom? Like to see whom, Gadget?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The 'Clutchin' Hand,' sir," explained -Gadget, who now found himself floored for -once by his want of English.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I don't understand, boy?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The bloke what played the dirty on us, -sir," replied the boy, opening wide his bright -blue eyes, and holding out three wet and -recently developed pocket films.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Him what got the swag, sir," continued -the urchin, endeavouring to make himself clear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, you mean that you photographed -the brigand!" replied the skipper as he -caught sight of the negatives, and snatched -at them eagerly, a new light coming into his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yessir!" exclaimed the lad. "Him what -said he was a King of the Desert."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gadget!" exclaimed the captain, after a -brief examination of the films, which were -really three fine, clearly defined pictures of -the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, showing her in mid-air, when -alongside the </span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span>.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yessir," replied the excited youth, not -yet certain whether he was going to be hanged -or praised for his offence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You have shown more wit and skill than -anyone on board the airship. You shall be -well rewarded for this, I promise you. How -on earth you managed to get three good snapshots -like these, all showing different angles of -the machine, and to hide them away, is beyond me!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, sir! Thought you'd like -'em," and the boy's eyes sparkled even more -than ever as the captain shook him by the -hand, and planted five new, crisp Bradburys -therein, then dismissed him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Great Scott!" exclaimed the captain, -"but that little urchin's saved my reputation. -These photographs may prove of more value -to the authorities than the lost treasure. I -feel a different man. Here is extraordinary -evidence against the culprit. One photograph -shows the fiend actually firing a burst -at the twin engines in the rear gondola, -and another the faces of the two occupants -above the fuselage. They will show more -evidence still when they have been -enlarged." And the captain, after carefully -drying them, placed them in an envelope -and put them into his inner coat pocket, -muttering:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Smart little beggar! I wish I hadn't -punished him the other day for smuggling -that tobacco aboard."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The captain, who had left strict instructions -that he should be called half an hour before -the end of the watch, in order that he might -relieve the navigating officer, was just about to -lie down on the couch for a brief spell, when -suddenly another knock at his cabin door -startled him, and immediately after his servant -entered and announced: "Seven bells, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Already?" exclaimed the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Has the moon set, yet?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it is quite dark now, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"All right. Tell the navigating officer that -I'll be down in one moment."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this very instant the telephone bell -which connected the cabin with the navigating -gondola rang furiously. Snatching up the -receiver, the captain asked, "What's the -matter, Donaldson? Is there another raider -on the starboard bow?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir, but there's something very much -like a signal flash away in the north-west."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sure it wasn't a shooting star?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More like a Very light, sir, but very -faint," replied the navigating officer. "Shall -I reply, sir?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, give him three red lights. I expect -it's one of the patrols looking for us. I'm -coming down now," and the captain replaced -the receiver, and made haste down the -corridor which led to the chart and navigation -room.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant three red balls of fire fell -from the airship earthwards in rapid succession, -and within a couple of minutes a faint -gleam of greenish light fell like an arc in the -north-western sky.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, the patrols have found us, sure -enough," exclaimed the captain, who had now -joined the officer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After several further exchanges of fire-balls, -repeated now from two or three quarters, the -searchers closed in upon the straggler. Then -a rapid dialogue took place by means of the -morse lamp, and, when dawn came, shortly -afterwards, no less than six fighting scouts, -running at about a quarter throttle, -surrounded the wounded leviathan, and escorted -her towards Cairo.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>When the </span><em class="italics">Empress</em><span> reached that town, she -was already twenty-four hours overdue at -London, so the cables and the wireless stations -were busy with messages relating to the -missing liner, and with more than one inquiry -as to the safety of her cargo, evidently from -the consignees, or more likely still, from the -underwriters.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And when the captain told his story to the -Commissioner of Aerial Police at Cairo there -was another mighty stir, and both the cables -and the wireless were busy again, for the -whole civilized world was tingling with -excitement to know something tangible about this -man of mystery--the phantom airman. And -the story of Gadget's photographs was told to -the world.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="diamond-cut-diamond"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XV</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">DIAMOND CUT DIAMOND</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>While the events recorded in the last few -chapters were taking place, a series of -adventures not less exciting and perilous had -befallen the two airmen, Keane and Sharpe, in -their endeavours to track that ingenious -conspirator, Professor Rudolf Weissmann, in -his secret retreat within the dark recesses of -the Schwarzwald.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After their midnight consultation with -Colonel Tempest at Scotland Yard, their -instructions were to proceed early next day, -by whatever aircraft was then available, to -Germany, and once there to adopt some -suitable disguise, and institute forthwith a most -rigorous search for the secret aerodrome. -They were to leave no stone unturned in their -efforts to track down this great German -irreconcilable, who had dared to hold a pistol -at the civilized world, and to bring back, if -possible, some tangible clue concerning his -two great discoveries.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Time is short," the colonel said. -"Immediate action on our part is vital. Spare -no expense in the venture, and if necessary -you must even proceed to extreme measures -to capture this daring outlaw and his accomplices."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what about this phantom aeroplane?" -asked Keane. "Apparently it has already -left the Schwarzwald on its piratical expedition."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It may return, and you must watch for -it. Some of those scattered inhabitants of -the Black Forest are sure to have seen or -heard something of it. Its trial trips must -have been carried out somewhere in the -vicinity."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are a simple and primitive type of -people who still inhabit those forest wastes; -wood cutters, lumbermen, makers of little -wooden clocks and musical boxes, most of -them, I believe," added Sharpe, who had often -traversed those regions as a British spy during -the Great War.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then they should be easier to handle," -added the commissioner of aerial police, who -had a ready method of brushing away -apparent difficulties. "I am compelled to rely -almost entirely upon your efforts. Take your -pocket-wireless telephones with you and a -sufficient quantity of German gold and silver, -and start directly you have had a few hours' -rest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We will get away immediately after -breakfast, sir," replied Keane, who had already -made up his mind as to how he should proceed -in the matter, for he had fixed up his jumping-off -ground for the Schwarzwald, and also the -type of disguise he intended to adopt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-bye, both of you, and may good -fortune attend you!" said the colonel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good-bye, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Big Ben was striking three o'clock as they -left Scotland Yard and made for their quarters, -which were in that part of London known -as The Adelphi, a quaint, old-fashioned -ensemble of buildings of the Georgian period, -overlooking the Thames, not far from the -Watergate. A few minutes later they bade -each other good-night, and turned in for a -few hours' sleep before their long flight across -England and France.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At seven o'clock they were breakfasting -together in a private room overlooking the -river, and discussing the details of their -coming adventure.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The Schwarzwald!" Sharpe was saying, -as he helped himself to another egg and a -rasher of ham. "Where do you think, now, -we had better start from, Captain Keane?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mulhausen," replied the other promptly, -for with Keane the initial procedure was -already cut and dried.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mulhausen? Capital! I was thinking -of Strasburg, but your idea is better still. -Is there a good aerodrome there where we can -land?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, on the banks of the little river Ill, -which runs into the Rhine a little lower down. -And once across the Rhine we are already in -the Black Forest, though we shall still have -a long tramp to the place which I suspect," -added Keane, pouring out another cup of coffee.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, I remember the place; the -aerodrome is near the junction of the -Rhine-Rhone Canal," replied his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You've got it, exactly. Now we must -get away; it must already be seven o'clock, -and a fine morning to boot. What says the -weather report about the Channel crossing?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here it is," exclaimed Sharpe, passing a -copy of the </span><em class="italics">Times</em><span> across to his friend, who -turned over the pages and read as follows:--</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Flying prospects for to-day:--South-east -England and Continent, including the -Channel crossing, favourable for flying -for all types of machines till mid-day, -after that conditions will deteriorate, -squalls and heavy rains will predominate, -visibility will be poor, and conditions -will become unsuitable for cross-country -flying."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Good! Then we must get away at once," -observed Sharpe, and within another five -minutes they were being hurled along towards -Hounslow, the aerodrome from which this -new adventure was to begin.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Forty-five minutes later a couple of -S.E.9s, the fastest machines in the service, -rose from the flying ground and steered a -course east-south-east for the Straits of -Dover. Thirty-five minutes later, the -necessary signals having been accepted by the -Dover patrols, with throttles wide open, the -two daring young aviators rushed the Channel -at one hundred and fifty miles an hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The French patrols having been informed by -Dover, permitted them to pass unchallenged. -And now changing course till they steered -almost due south-east, they sped onwards, -catching now and again a glimpse of the old -battle-front of the days of 1914-1918, where -the shell-marked craters of the Hindenberg -line were still visible from the air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then they followed the railway line from -Laon to Rheims, left the ancient town of -Nancy to their left, and, crossing the Vosges -Mountains and forests a little to the north of -Belfort, they dropped down quietly to the -landing ground outside Mulhausen in Alsace, -as the clock in the Market Square struck the -hour of noon.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Having left their machines and flying gear -in charge of the commandant, they entered -the town, purchased a portable camp outfit, -and, dressed as tourists of the pedestrian and -naturalist type, continued their journey, -crossed the Rhine and entered the Schwarzwald, -ostensibly to study the fauna and flora -of the Black Forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Phew! I'm tired of this load. Let us camp -here for the night, by this little clearing, where -these seldom trodden footpaths diverge," -said Keane, some hours later, as, weary and -dusty with his three hours' tramp through -the bracken and the tousled undergrowth, -he threw down his heavy knapsack and nets, -and began to wipe the perspiration from his -forehead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then they lit a small fire of dried twigs, -cooked their evening meal, and lit their pipes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After a quiet smoke, during which time -they carefully re-examined a survey map of -the Schwarzwald, they began to talk in -low whispers, whilst the sun descended -amongst the pines on the western heights, -over which they had dragged their weary feet.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is my opinion," whispered Keane, -"that we are within five miles of that secret -aerodrome."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>His companion nodded, almost drowsily, -although every faculty was kept constantly alert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is just possible that one of these paths -leads to the very spot, but it will be necessary -to explore them both. We must be extremely -careful, however, for this professor is sure -to prove a wily opponent. I hope, however, -some wood-cutter or peasant may pass this -way soon, and that we may learn something -from him which will help us," continued -the senior airman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What if the wood-cutter should prove -to be the professor himself?" asked Sharpe, -with a humorous twinkle in his eyes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is even possible," returned his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In that case it would be diamond cut -diamond, Keane, eh?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The other shrugged his shoulder at the -very thought, and prayed that such a -contingency might not happen, at any rate -until something tangible had first been -discovered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In three hours it will be midnight," he -said. "If no one passes this way by then, -I think we must carry out our search in the -dark. Time is pressing; we must find -something within another forty-eight hours, or -poor old Tempest will be at his wit's end, -and calling us home again. He cannot leave -us long on this trail."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The greater the pity. A fortnight is not -too long to follow a trail like this," said -Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yet you had to do things pretty smartly -in those dark days of 1917 and 1918, Sharpe."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, and there was some danger and -excitement attached to it, which sharpened -one's wits."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never fear! There'll be both before -we have finished this trek," returned Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist! What was that?" said Sharpe -in an undertone, as he caught the sound of -broken twigs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Someone approaching," whispered his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They listened acutely now, with every -sense keenly alert. Again they heard the -sound, and it seemed to come from the -western side of the open glade, where the last -dull glow of the sunset still revealed the edge -of the forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The camp fire had died down to a smoulder, -but Keane instinctively held his ground -sheet before the dying embers, lest their -presence should be betrayed. He was anxious -to learn something of the nature of this -visitor before he revealed himself.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! It is some creature of the forest," -observed Sharpe, after a moment's hesitation. -"A wild boar or a red-spotted deer, most likely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was right, for the next moment a series -of grunts proceeded from the spot whence -came the sounds, and, as though suddenly -startled by the consciousness of some human -presence, the beast, a fine specimen of the -</span><em class="italics">Sus Scrofa</em><span>, with fierce protruding tusks and -long stiff bristles, broke cover, trotted swiftly -across the glade, within thirty yards of the -two watchers, and entered the forest on the -other side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So much for that little incident," -muttered Sharpe, as he released his grip of the -Webley pistol, which his right hand had -instinctively grasped, when the dark shadow -broke from the margin of the trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane shook his head as though he disagreed -with his companion, and remarked in a low -voice, "The creature was evidently startled -or it would not have fled like that. Its -scent is very keen, and as the wind is blowing -from the west, it suspected danger from that -quarter."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-ghostly-visitant"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE GHOSTLY VISITANT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>A few moments later the two men were -startled by the sound of a human voice, -trolling out the words of some German -folk-song, and approaching from the same quarter -towards the clearing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This is our man," exclaimed Keane, as -he removed the screen from the fire and -stirred the dying embers into a cheerful blaze, -piling on more dried twigs, so that the trees -about the glade seemed to dance like fairies.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some woodman or peasant returning -from a party," observed Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I wonder where his cottage is," replied -his friend; "it must be somewhere in the -neighbourhood."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must welcome him to a belated supper. -Perhaps this good Rhine wine will open his -lips still more, and he may tell us something -about the birds of the Schwarzwald."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Particularly the phantom-bird," facetiously -observed Keane with a smile.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nearer and nearer came the stranger, -breaking occasionally into snatches of song, -as though he would frighten away the goblins -and weird creatures of the forest, for of the -superstitious peoples of Europe, the peasantry -of the Black Forest are most given to -credulous beliefs. Perhaps this is because -no other district of Europe is so rich in -quaint legend, folklore and ghostly tradition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Now and then the approaching stranger -would stop his singing to address some remark -to a companion; evidently some beast of -burden trudging beside him. The next -moment the figure of a man, leading a -pack-horse through the forest, suddenly emerged -upon the clearing. Catching a sight of the -dancing flames which mounted skyward -as one of the airmen stirred the fire into -life, and beholding the dark figures of -the two strangers, the newcomer, suddenly -stopped, apparently half-terrified by the -sudden apparition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Geistlich!" he muttered, staring with -wide-open eyes towards the sudden flame.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Guten abend, freund!" exclaimed -Keane, wishing to draw the man into conversation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The man's fears departed as soon as he -discovered that he was addressed by human -beings like himself, for in his first wild flight of -fancy he feared it was far otherwise, and that -he had suddenly come upon one of those -forbidden glades, where the sprites and goblins -dance after dark.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Guten abend!" he replied, and, being -asked to join the company, made haste to -do so, reining in his loaded horse and tethering -him to a tree-stump close by.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Tis late to travel these lonely woods, -friend," said Keane in excellent German.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, 'tis late, but the moon will soon be -up, and then, why, 'twill be better footing," -replied the stranger, whose full, round face -and longing eyes were already directed -towards a wicker-covered bottle, which seemed -to hold something good, so that he smacked -his lips once or twice, and in fancy he was -already draining the sweet nectar which the -bottle contained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Have you far to go?" asked Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, yes, 'tis another seven miles to my -cottage in the woods."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then stay with us an hour until the -moon shall rise and clear away the goblins -of the Schwarzwald," urged Keane, who, by -this time, had been able to examine the -stranger's face by the light of the fire, and to -read it like a book.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"A simple, credulous fellow, a true peasant -of the Schwarzwald, untouched by the outer -world," he told himself. "He should be -useful to us." Then, passing to him the -wicker-covered bottle, he said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good Rhine wine from Bacharach, Hans. -Taste it!"</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>"Ach, from Bacharach on the Rhine,</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Comes the finest sort of wine,"</span></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>exclaimed the stranger in the rude dialect -of the Black Forest, and his round eyes -sparkled as he clutched the bottle, raised it -to his lips, and drank half a pint without -stopping to take breath.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"'Tis a long time since I tasted such rich -and luscious wine, gentlemen," said the -peasant, handing back the bottle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pray be seated and rest awhile," urged -his companions, and nothing loath to keep -such excellent company, Hans, if such was -really his name, sat down by the fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Pray, what brings you to the lonely -Schwarzwald, gentlemen? Have you come -to hunt for the wild boar, or to fish the -mountain streams?" he asked, "for I can -show you where the biggest fish are to be -found, and where the wild pig rears her -litters."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Butterflies and birds, especially birds," -replied Keane, pointing to his nets, and his -neat little boxes for packing specimens.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Birds? Ach, there is one bird which -sometimes flies in these parts which you -will never catch," said the peasant, speaking -in lowered tones, as though half-frightened -by his own words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ha! What bird is that?" asked the others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist!" exclaimed Hans, raising his -forefinger, and looking guardedly around. "It -is the phantom-bird!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The phantom-bird?" echoed the two -airmen, who could scarcely believe their eyes -and ears, as they earnestly regarded this -solemn, frightened, half-childish man, who -had evidently seen the very thing they had -come so far to find, but who believed it to be -something supernatural.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two Englishmen glanced at each other. -Had they really found someone who could -enlighten them about this mysterious -aeroplane, for he could certainly be referring to -nothing else? And at that moment Keane -blessed his lucky star, which had led him to -choose these wild forest regions for their -jumping-off ground. Still, they must not -appear too curious, lest they should betray -the reason of their presence here.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane shook his head as, with an apparently -incredulous laugh, and a sympathetic motion -of the hand, he would banish all tales of -ghostly visitants to the realm of limbo. -This only had the effect of egging on the -speaker to tell his tale, however.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ach, Himmel!" he exclaimed. "Es war geistlich!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you see it, then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ya, das hab ich!" returned the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Was it in the day or the night-time when -you saw it?" asked Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was night, about this time, and -there was but a half-moon above the tree tops."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Were you very much frightened, Hans?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I was scared to death almost. I -thought the old man of the mountains had -come for me. I had been to market to sell -my little wooden-clocks, and near this very -place the huge grey phantom bird swooped -down, then circled round and round and -disappeared there, over there!" and the -peasant, his eyes almost starting out of his -head with terror, pointed away to the east.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! It was no bird, it was an aeroplane, -Hans. You should not have been frightened," -exclaimed Keane, who had been taking -particular note of the direction in which the -mysterious machine had disappeared.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, a ghost-aeroplane!" iterated the -Schwarzwalder. "There has never been anything -like it before."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did anybody else see it?" queried Sharpe, -passing the bottle once again to Hans, who -stayed but a moment to wipe his lips with his -sleeve, and to take another deep drink of the wine.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ja, it was seen by Jacob Stendahl the -same night, not far from this very place."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And who is Jacob Stendahl?" asked Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is the woodcutter whose cottage is -down by the stream, two miles away. That -path leads to his house. He was terrified; -he said it was an evil omen, and next morning -his little Gretchen died."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And what happened to you, Hans?" asked Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That same night my sow farrowed, and -all the litter were dead next morning," replied -the peasant gravely.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A deep silence followed this last remark, and -the Schwarzwalder brooded over his misfortune, -and lamented to himself the loss of his -fine litter of young pigs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two airmen felt certain now that Hans -had really seen the mysterious aeroplane, -and they plied him with a dozen further -questions as to the noise it made in passing, -and the speed at which it travelled, and -whether anyone else had seen or heard of it. -To some of their questions Hans could give -no coherent answer. He said, however, that -very few people lived in this part of the -forest, and parts of it were seldom or never -trodden by human foot. He had spoken -to one or two about it, and they also had -either seen or heard of it from someone else, -and the general opinion amongst the Schwarzwalders -in that part, was, that it was one of -the dead German airmen, whose spirit came -to visit the spot in a ghost-aeroplane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which of the German aces is it, then, -that revisits this place, do they think?" -asked Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some say that it is the ghost of Immelmann, -who used to come here before the war to -hunt the wild boar; others say that it is the -spirit of Richthofen, but I cannot say," -replied Hans.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>On the question of speed and noise, -however, the peasant declared that he was -certain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It must have been a ghost-aeroplane," -he said, "because it was silent, and its speed -was like the passing of a spirit when it leaves -the body."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A deep silence followed these words, but -at the end of a few minutes Hans, pointing -to the east, said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Look, friends, the moon is rising already. -It is getting lighter, and I must go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, untethering his pack-horse, he -thanked the strangers for their hospitality, -gave them the direction and situation of his -cottage, where they would be welcome, -should they care to visit him during their -stay in the Schwarzwald, and, bidding them -adieu, started off on his journey through the -forest.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-watchers"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE WATCHERS</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>They watched the Schwarzwalder and his -beast of burden disappear into the forest, -then for some minutes the two Englishmen, -buried in thought, sat by the embers of the -fire. Neither spake to his companion for a -while, as, deep in contemplation, each -endeavoured to fathom in his own mind this -secret of the phantom aeroplane, this riddle -of the sphinx. At last Keane addressed his -colleague.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This travelling clock-maker has confirmed -our theory, Sharpe," he said.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, the simple fellow has helped us not -a little," replied the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We must continue our search without -further delay, lest this talkative peasant -should himself encounter this genius, and -unwittingly announce the presence of two -strangers in the forest. That is my great -fear now."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You don't think this fellow misled us, Keane?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why do you ask? He was too dull-witted -to be anything in the nature of an -accomplice," replied the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Quite so, but he might have been a tool -in the hands of this mystery man," added -Sharpe, as a sudden feeling of suspicion shot -across his mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"In that case we ought to have followed -him, but I scarcely think it worth while. A -dull-witted man of that type would have been -too dangerous to his employer, even when -used merely as a tool. The only danger I -anticipate from that quarter, unless I am -utterly mistaken, is that the fellow may -encounter someone in the forest who is -engaged in the plot, and thus reveal our -presence, as I stated previously," observed -Keane, as he began to get his traps together, -ready for the march.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anyhow, we have learned something from -the Schwarzwalder."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way, Sharpe, you might tune up -your little wireless pocket 'phone, and ascertain -if there are any messages floating around."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So I will; we might pick up something," -replied the junior airman, and the next -moment he climbed into a straggling, -low-branched tree, uncoiled a small aerial, and, -starting his little battery, listened attentively -for any stray message that might be floating -through the ether.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Anything?" asked Keane, coming to the -foot of the tree.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nothing," remarked the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then we'll push off."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Five minutes later, having adjusted their -packs, collected their nets, and having stamped -out the remains of the fire, they were ready -to start.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Which path shall we take?" asked -Sharpe, for there were two ill-defined, -grass-grown tracks which led away from the -clearing. One led past Jacob Stendahl's cottage, -and had been followed by the Schwarzwalder, -and the other, the lesser trodden of the two, -led they knew not where.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us take the one on the right," said -Keane, indicating the latter. "It is more -likely to yield us something," and the next -moment they were hidden from sight amid the -dense undergrowth of this part of the forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scarcely had they disappeared from view -when one of the upper branches of a tree near -to the edge of the clearing suddenly appeared -to move, then to swing loosely for a second, -and drop to the ground. Then for a moment -there was silence, save for the call of a -nightjar which had been disturbed, but a moment -later a dark shadow debouched from the -edge of the forest and crossed quietly but -quickly to where the fire had been burning -a few minutes previously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A low whistle, repeated twice, brought a -similar shadow from the opposite side of the -clearing, and the two indistinct, but human -shapes, met each other face to face.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who were they, Professor?" asked the -second arrival of the first.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel! Ich weiss nicht, Strauss," -replied his companion, who was none other -than the renowned Professor Rudolf Weissmann, -"but I fear that they portend us no good."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us examine the ground to see if they -have left any clue behind."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So for the next few minutes the professor and -his mechanic searched the ground carefully -for any little souvenir which the travellers -might have left behind them. And whilst -they searched, they talked in low, but eager -whispers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Did you hear that half-witted Schwarzwalder -talking aloud about the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>?" -asked the professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. He called it a phantom-bird, -did he not?" replied Strauss. "I heard -nearly all he said, he spoke so loudly and -coarsely."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Could you hear what the others said?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not a word; they spoke so quietly, save -once or twice when they spoke to the clock-maker."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nor could I, and that is what makes me -so suspicious," returned Weissmann.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They spoke good German, though," -ventured the mechanic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! Of course they would. Nevertheless, -it's my firm opinion that they're -foreigners, and that they're here for some -special reason."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And that reason is?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To find out about the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>," snarled -the mathematician.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ach!" exclaimed the other; "the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> -is two thousand miles away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then their next business is to find the -aerodrome," said the professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blitz! that they'll never do except by -accident. Think of those live wires waiting -for them if they get within a hundred yards -of it. We have found six dead men there -already; I don't want to dig any more -graves," returned Strauss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had continued the search for fully ten -minutes, and the professor, occasionally -flashing his pocket torch, was carefully examining -the long grass within a radius of some twelve -of fifteen feet of the spot where the fire had -been. Wise man that he was, he carried -out his final investigation to the leeward -of the fire, trusting that the breeze might -have carried some paper fragment, used -in lighting a pipe or starting the fire, in -that direction. Nor was he disappointed. -He was just about to conclude his search, -however, when his sharp eyes caught sight of -a piece of half burnt and twisted paper -hidden away amongst the longer grass.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donnerwetter!" he exclaimed under his -breath, as he flashed his torch upon the paper -for a second. "I thought so; here is evidence -enough for an execution."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What is it, mein herr?" asked the -mechanic, hastening to his side.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Do you see that?" said his companion, -untwisting the paper once again and flashing -a light upon it.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ja! ja!" replied the other as he strained -his eyes in the attempt to decipher the -handwriting on the half-burnt sheet. "But I -cannot understand it, for it is in a foreign -language."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is part of a small fragment of an -envelope, and the writing, which is in English, -is certainly almost undecipherable, but I can -distinguish the letters '...eane'."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ach, Himmel! That is Keane!" replied -Strauss. "He is one of the aerial police, -is he not?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You are right, Fritz. This letter was -addressed through the English post to Captain -Keane, one of Tempest's best men, if not -indeed his most brilliant 'brain-wave,'" -hissed the professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donner und blitzen! Then he has come -here to search for the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, and the -aerodrome."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, but look, he only left London -a few hours ago, for here is the London -postmark in the corner, bearing yesterday's -date."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And his companion? Who is he?" -asked the mechanic.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It must be that other scout pilot, Sharpe; -they work together. But, mark my word, -Friedrich Strauss, they are mistaken if they -think to find an easy victim in Professor Rudolf -Weissmann. I'll teach them to track me -like a murderer through the Schwarzwald. -They have come to the Black Forest, and -here they shall stay." And for once, the -quiet, mild-mannered professor jerked out -his words with unusual vehemence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The mechanic saw that his chief was deeply -agitated by this sudden discovery, which -confirmed all his recent fears, and to allay his -feelings, he said,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they will never find the aerodrome, -Professor, or, if indeed they find it, they will -never enter it alive; think of the preparations -you have made for all uninvited guests," -and the speaker shuddered, for he knew -something of the terrors of that "death-circle" -in the lonely forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bah! it is my secret they want, the -secret of that mysterious power which drives -the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Uranis?" ventured the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The professor nodded, for he regarded it as -the greater success of the two. Without it -the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> would be useless; with it a -dozen </span><em class="italics">Scorpions</em><span> could be built, once the -facilities were provided. Unfortunately the -discovery had been effected too late to win -the war for the Fatherland. Besides, he had -not received the encouragement from the -government that he had deserved, and his soul -was consequently embittered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come," he said at last, "we must get -back to the aerodrome and watch for these -half-witted Englishmen. Once there we can -afford to laugh at them. They will soon be -held in a vice. But I must send a further -message to the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> out on the Hamadian -plains, hinting how matters stand. After -that communications may have to cease for -a while. As for these death-hunters, they -will find out presently that they are up against -something far more terrible than anything -which old Jacob Stendahl or the wood-cutter -have ever imagined in their wildest fancy. -The secret of the Schwarzwald is not for them. -I hold the master-key, Fritz, and when I -die that master-key will be broken."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the two men, who had been aware of -the presence of the Englishmen ever since -they entered the forest, and had watched -them accordingly, now moved off in the same -direction which the latter had taken half an -hour before.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="live-wires"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XVIII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"LIVE WIRES"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Matters in the Schwarzwald were now -rapidly nearing a climax; the final contest -between German brains and English wit could -not much longer be delayed. For the moment -Keane and Sharpe, unknown to themselves, -were enmeshed in the network of a deathly -trap. Nothing less than a miracle, or -something approaching the same, could now set -them free from their perilous position. One -thing was certain, and that was that this -clever but unscrupulous mathematician and -engineer, who was now their declared enemy, -would not hesitate to adopt the most extreme -measures to get rid of his unwelcome visitors. -Unfortunately his power, which almost -approached the supernatural, made him a -dangerous and a wily foe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was now past midnight, but the two -Englishmen, who had left the track some time -before at a point where its course was suddenly -changed, and had continued their journey -by the aid of a luminous compass, and the -uncertain light of the moon, came at last to -another halt.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us stay here a while, Sharpe," his -companion had whispered. "I have a strong -premonition of some impending danger."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The deuce you have!" remarked Sharpe, -who well knew what this meant in a man like -Keane, whose psychic faculties were not to be -sneered at.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. I cannot explain it, but there is -some hidden danger right ahead of us; of -that I am as certain as that we are in the -Schwarzwald. We had better lie down a -while and await developments quietly."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nothing loath, Sharpe unfastened his -shoulder straps, slid his equipment quietly to -the ground, and laid himself down beside his -companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the moment all was quiet. The moon -was hidden behind a bank of clouds, and -it was therefore very dark, but sounds -travel far in the night air of the forest, -and when they conversed, they spoke only -in whispers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It may be," remarked Keane, "that the -spot we seek is just in front of us, though I -cannot see any glade or clearing as yet; it is -too dark."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it likely that there are any booby-traps -hereabouts, set by this wily professor?" -asked his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot say; he may have some outer -system of defence."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Or even a system of ground signals to -announce the approach of strangers, whose -presence might be undesirable to him," -added Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is possible," whispered Keane, whose -mind was actively engaged in preparation for -eventualities, in view of his inexplicable -premonitions. Suddenly he started and -touched his comrade lightly with his raised -forefinger.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist!" he said, in a voice which could -not have carried further than a couple of yards -Then he carefully raised his head, and, turning -his eyes towards the thicket through which -they had come, he tried to read the secret -which it contained. His alarm was justified, -yet was he mystified not a little, for the more -immediate danger seemed to come from behind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can you hear it, Sharpe?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, the same crackling of twigs; another -wild boar," remarked his friend facetiously.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane shook his head, for his sensitive -ears had told him that the footsteps which he -had heard were those of human beings. Nor -was he mistaken, for a moment later they both -heard distinctly, not merely the crackling of -twigs and the rustle of the bracken under -heavy footfalls, but voices, human voices, -conversing in a guarded and careful manner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"None of your Schwarzwald peasants this -time," he murmured, fingering his Webley -already, for he instinctively felt that this -time they were beset by danger both before -and behind. And indeed, these two men, -during all their adventures in the secret -service during the war, were never in more -deadly peril than at this moment, as they -were soon to learn.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Scarcely daring to breathe, much less to -whisper now, the two Englishmen watched -furtively for the coming of the strangers, who -were now less than a score of yards away, -but were approaching very stealthily, as -though they were searching for something on -the ground.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who can they be?" wondered Keane. -"And what can they be searching for?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Poachers," Sharpe was thinking, "merely -poachers, searching for their booby-traps."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Nearer and nearer came the dark shadows, -and both the airmen had their Webleys trained -on them now. In that moment they might have -shot them down easily, and before long they -would regret they had not done so. But that is -not the English way, for the ordinary Englishman -would give even a dog his chance, as the -saying goes. Still, there are dogs and dogs, -and sometimes human dogs are worse than -the four-footed ones. But the Englishmen -were uncertain; they did not know what -world-wide conspirators were these two men. -They did not know what fearful deeds would -happen even that day on the Hamadian -desert, two thousand miles away, but all of it -engineered from this spot, and made possible -by these two men. And as they did not know, -they did not fire, but waited.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gott in Himmel, where does that -</span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> live wire begin?" asked one of the -men in a low but vehement voice. It was -the professor himself, searching for one of -his own man-traps.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Sharpe glanced at Keane, but the other -motioned him not to fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We're learning something, old man!" -he whispered. "This is the gateway to the -aerodrome."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The two men had passed them now, -passed within six yards, and yet had missed -them. They were now groping a little -way ahead, looking for secret signs and -marks lest they should be hoist upon their -own petard.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donner und Blitzen! Have you found -it yet, Fritz?" called the professor a little -louder to his friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here it is, Professor! Be careful ... there -are six wires already laid for those -</span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> Englishmen, Keane and--what is -the name of the other?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sharpe!" rapped out the professor, as -though he had known the man all his life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At these words the two Englishmen looked -at each other in blank amazement. And -before their astonishment could subside, the -opportunity which had been given to them of -ridding the world of two great conspirators -had passed.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"One--two--six!" they heard the -mechanic say, as he helped the professor over -the deadly maze, scarcely fifteen yards in front -of them, and then their dark forms had merged -into the trees and disappeared, their voices -becoming fainter and fainter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Great Scott!" gasped Sharpe, when he -recovered from his astonishment; "we've -walked right into the hornets' nest."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We should have done if we'd gone another -fifteen yards," replied Keane, wiping the -perspiration from his forehead.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fortunate you had that presentiment of -impending danger," said his friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We should have been lying dead and half -grilled over his deadly wires but for that -strange, weird feeling of mine," replied Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But there, after all our attempts at -concealment, he knows all about us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Even our names seem familiar to him," -remarked the senior airman, greatly puzzled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I cannot understand it," replied the other. -"Who can have given him this information?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Who indeed?" asked Keane. "It is as -great a mystery as the other matter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Can it be the woodcutter or the clockmaker, -do you think, for Hans is sure to have -called at Jacob Stendahl's cottage and told -him the news."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Keane shook his head, as he remarked: -"Neither Hans nor yet the woodcutter could -possibly have told the professor our names. -This evil genius must have other sources of -information at his command. Possibly he -has an agent at Mulhausen aerodrome, or -even at Scotland Yard. To a man like this, -a thousand ways are open. I cannot say, -but this I know, we are on the edge of the -biggest mystery I have ever encountered."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And we might easily have shot him. -Bah! it would have been better to have -fired, Keane," added Sharpe somewhat -bitterly. "Cannot we follow him now?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No!" replied his companion, firmly. -"It is better as it is."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?" demanded the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rest content, Sharpe," said Keane. -"To-day we have discovered the aerodrome; -to-morrow we will capture it."</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-devil-s-workshop"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XIX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE DEVIL'S WORKSHOP</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Patiently, now, the two Englishmen waited -for the dawn. Till then it would not be -safe to move in any direction. As they lay -in the long bracken and ferns, however, -they were able to converse quietly, and to -discuss their plans for the coming day. The -spot they had come so far to seek was now -before them. The live wires, just a few feet -ahead of them, had been duly located, and -now that the danger was known, it was not -insuperable. It was an added mystery to -them, nevertheless, how this wizard secured -sufficient voltage to make these wires so -deadly. They assumed, however, that -powerful dynamos, worked by this same silent -energy that propelled the aeroplane, were -at work somewhere near this spot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Dawn came at last; a faint yellow streak -lit up the horizon away to the east. Then -a crimson flush revealed the distant -tree-tops, and the moon and stars faded away. -A hundred songsters awoke the stillness of the -forest, for another day had dawned, and the -sable curtain of night rolled westward.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"See, there is a clearing fifty yards ahead," -were Keane's first words to his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is the aerodrome, the secret aerodrome!" -replied Sharpe, peering through the trees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let us work round a little way and find -the workshop or hangar. I fancy we shall -find it on the other side of the glade."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Mind those beastly wires, then!" replied -Sharpe, as he began to crawl through the -dense undergrowth after his companion, who -had already started to make a circuit of the -outer defences on his hands and knees.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next half-hour was spent in cautious -creeping and crawling just outside those -death-dealing wires. At the end of that -time, however, Keane made a discovery. -He had completed about half the circuit, -when, peering carefully through the trees, -he fancied he could make out the camouflaged -fabric which covered some temporary -building. So carefully was this place hidden -amongst the trees that he had to look twice -or three times before he could make up his -mind that he was not mistaken. At last he -convinced himself that he had located the -workshop, else, why should the place have -been so carefully hidden. Waiting for his -companion to reach him, he pointed to the -object and whispered, "There it is, not -thirty yards away!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shall we get over these wires, and rush -the place?" asked Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No. Let us continue our journey until -we have completed the circuit. We may -make another discovery yet. Come along; -fortune favours the brave."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had scarcely crept another hundred -yards, however, when a rustling in the leaves, -accompanied by a snort, revealed the presence -of another wild boar, which had evidently -scented their presence.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Confound the pig!" muttered Sharpe, -who was afraid the sounds might lead to their -premature discovery. But Keane thought -otherwise, for, to his quick mind and instructive -genius, this trifling event seemed providential.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The pig!" he whispered, pointing to -the spot whence came the occasional snorts -of the angry, disturbed creature.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What of it?" queried Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let's get to the other side of the beast -and drive it against the wires."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And roast the brute alive for the benefit -of their breakfast, I suppose."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane laughed silently, and wondered how -far the conspirators used this live wire to -keep themselves supplied with food. He -knew, however, that a wild boar on the -live wires would soon bring out the inmates -of that mysterious house in the woods, and -would sufficiently distract their attention to -give the airmen their opportunity.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment, having made a sufficiently -extensive circuit, so as to get the -wild boar between them and the wires, -they began closing in on the beast, an -operation not devoid of peril, should the boar -decide to attack them. Fortune favoured -them, however. The angry beast, noting -the approach of some unseen enemy, by the -movements of the tangled undergrowth, half -frightened and half infuriated, made off -in the direction of the clearing, uttering -further snorts. The next moment he had -touched the first of those deadly wires, and, -with a wild scream which rang through the -forest, he leapt into the air, then fell back -quivering but dead across that fatal grill.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Back--back for your life!" hissed Keane, -as he made haste back to the spot where -they had sheltered, close to the camouflaged -hangar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next instant the watchers saw the -professor and his assistant rush out of the -little building, towards the place where the -animal lay right across the first four wires. -In their excitement they both seemed to -have forgotten the presence of the two -Englishmen in the woods during the previous -evening, for they were both unarmed. Or -perhaps it was that they imagined them to be -the present victims of their cunning.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hoch! Another royal boar for the larder, -Fritz!" exclaimed the professor. "We shall -have the winter's supply complete very soon."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gut, mein herr!" came the answer.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Better go back and switch off the current, -so that we can take it away," urged the chief, -and, staying but a second to see the royal -victim, the assistant complied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This was what the two Englishmen had -been waiting for. The moment of action -had come at last. Gripping their pistols, they -made ready to advance and take possession -of the hangar during the absence of the inmates.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Sind Sie fertig, Friedrich?" called the -professor.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ja, das bin ich!" replied the other, as -he left the workshop, and rejoined his companion.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Come along, the wires are dead now," -whispered Keane, and, keeping well within -the shadows of the trees, the two men crept -forward, gained the rear of the structure, -then cautiously worked their way round and -entered the hangar unobserved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>One glance about the well-fitted -workshop sufficed. There were no further -occupants, and they lowered their pistols. Sharpe -at once sprang to the lever which regulated -the powerful electrical current and clutched -it. In another instant the two men without -would have paid the extreme penalty, for -they would have been instantly killed by -their own evil device, but Keane stopped him:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't!" he said. "We have much to -learn. The professor at least must be taken -alive, if possible. The secret he holds is -too precious to be lost. Let us hide!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where can we hide?" asked the other, -somewhat disappointed, and amazed at the -further risks which his companion appeared -willing to take in order to gratify an insatiable -curiosity. "The tables may be quickly -turned upon us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We can shoot them as a last resort, if -that is necessary," urged Keane, who knew -the priceless value of the secrets which this -place contained.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hist! They are coming."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This way!" whispered Keane, and he -drew his companion into a little recess, which -had evidently been curtained off for the -mechanic's sleeping berth.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>They had barely withdrawn themselves -into this narrow apartment when the two -men entered, dragging the carcase of the -wild boar with them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Leave it there for a moment, Strauss. -The message from the Rittmeister is due. -I must also send him that other message -again, as the first has not been acknowledged," -were the professor's first words.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir. Shall I start the dynamos -again?" asked the assistant.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Perhaps you'd better, but first hand me -that message book and the secret code."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The next moment the professor was busy -at the wireless keys, transmitting some -message to the far deserts of Arabia.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By all the saints," gasped Keane, "he's -sending a message to the raider, the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, -as he calls it. I must have that secret -code at all hazards. I wonder what he is saying?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For some time the chief conspirator was -engaged coding and decoding messages at -the little table where the aerials, carefully -hidden amongst the trees without, had their -terminus. And in that moment Keane -thanked his stars that he had waited for -this, for he saw new possibilities opening out -before him. Once in possession of this -mechanism and the necessary codes, he could -communicate at will with the distant raider, -who was threatening the whole civilised world -by his almost superhuman powers of brigandage. -He could recall the raider also, and -make his capture certain, once he could secure -absolute possession of this little citadel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For the present he could do nothing but -wait, however, and see how matters developed. -Once, the assistant came quite close to their -hiding-place, and both men again gripped their -Webleys. At this moment even to breathe -seemed fraught with danger. If the man -should enter the little apartment, he must die, -and the professor must be immediately threatened -with the same penalty unless he surrendered.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ha! So far so good!" gasped Keane, -as the mechanic recrossed the workshop -without actually entering their hiding-place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Teufel!" spluttered the professor. "Here -is that fool Tempest trying to communicate -with those two </span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> Englishmen who -are still roaming about in the Schwarzwald. -He little knows that we possess his secret code."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel! What does he say?" asked the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Wants them to report progress at once, -and let him know how matters stand," said -Weissmann in a mocking tone. "He says he -will come over himself, if necessary."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donnerwetter! Ask him to come, -Professor. He might as well grill with his -accomplices on the live wires, for that's where -they'll be before the day is out, unless they -abandon their futile search," replied Strauss.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"This fiend is a perfect wizard!" thought -Keane, and his glance signified as much to -Sharpe. "How he manages to get hold of -these secrets is beyond me. And yet, there -is a defect in his mad science, for he does -not know that we're here, and that his own life -is in our hands. Fool that he is, he will soon -learn that the wit of an Englishman is more -than a match for his boasted knowledge," -and here the senior airman carefully withdrew -a cartridge from his Webley and inserted -another, silently--a cartridge that had a -specific mission. His companion watched -him and repeated the action with his own -weapon, for he understood.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blitz! but I've half a mind to send for -Tempest," mused the professor, who was still -toying with the keys of the wireless instrument.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Send for him, Professor," urged his -accomplice. "Those Englishmen are getting -too close to be pleasant. The British army -of occupation will be carrying out a thorough -search of the Schwarzwald if these men get -away, and then where shall we be?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are in the neutral zone, though," -replied the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But we're contravening the Peace Regulations, -sir, and the English will not stand -upon ceremony. It will be too late should -these men get away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Donner und Teufel!" rasped out the -angry professor. "Don't speak to me of the -Peace Regulations. There will be no peace -till Germany regains all and more than all -she has lost. I will send for this Commissioner -of Aerial Police, for I believe that he -and his two accomplices, Keane and Sharpe, -are the only ones so far who know anything -that matters about the secret of the -Schwarzwald," and he began to tap the keys, reeling -out the words as he sent them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane listened acutely for the cyphers of -the code. They were:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Z--X--B--T--V--O--P..."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>and he understood that Tempest was to come -at once, make for Mulhausen aerodrome, -then take a bee-line, east-north-east over the -Schwarzwald until he saw a smoke column, -where a suitable landing-ground would be -found, and his accomplices would await him.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ach!" shrieked the professor, with a -fiendish laugh. "The smoke column will -mark his last resting-place. They shall all -be buried together, these mad Englishmen. -We will have more live wires stretched across -his landing-ground, and as the wild boar died, -so will these men die who dared to follow me -into the Schwarzwald."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The wild boar! Hoch! Hoch!" exclaimed -his companion. "It is a fitting -tribute for the English are swine!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> shall witness the -inglorious end of these men," cried the -professor, as a sudden idea came into his mind.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Der </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>?" queried Fritz, looking -up amazed from his task. "What do you -mean, Professor?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, the Rittmeister will have finished -his work in the Hamadian Desert this -afternoon. His instructions are to resign the -Sultanate of those regions for the present, -for the skies will be thick with British scouts -by to-morrow."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But then he goes to Ireland to work with -the revolutionists there, does he not, mein herr?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ja! ja! but I will ask him to call here -for a day or two before he proceeds. He -will have much to tell us, and Spitzer, Carl -and Max would like to see these dangerous -opponents safely out of the way, for at present -they are the only enemies to be considered."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Gut!" ejaculated Strauss, catching -something of the professor's enthusiasm.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane would have intervened before this, -for he had noted Sharpe's impatience, but -he intimated as well as he could by mute signs -and otherwise, that the fiend was doing their -work for them.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let him send this message first," he whispered -in his companion's ears, "and then----" But -the sentence was completed by further -cabalistic signs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again the professor turned to the keys, and -sent his last instructions through the ether -waves to his confederate, the brigand of the -eastern skies.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="hands-up"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XX</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">"HANDS UP!"</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Haende in die hohe!" cried Keane as soon -as the last message had been sent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Der Teufel!" gasped the professor as -two swift shadows darted out from behind -the curtain, and the two men whom he had -just been discussing with such utter contempt -confronted him and his accomplice with -gleaming pistols.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Hands up!" repeated Keane, anxious -to give the professor another chance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>With a blasphemous oath the man of -evil genius, who saw that he had been -outwitted, reached for a small hand grenade -which lay beside him on the table, and -shouted:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Never!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then take that!" cried the Englishman, -and two puffs of greenish smoke, following a -sharp crackle, burst simultaneously from the -pistols, for they had both fired together.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The new Asphixor bullets took immediate -effect. Both the Germans staggered, clutched -their throats as though to ward off the effects -of this new powerful gas recently discovered -and adapted by that eminent British scientist, -Sir Joseph Verne--then lurched and fell, -whilst their opponents stepped back and -quickly fitted on their safety masks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"They are both sound asleep," observed -Keane, when, the fumes having cleared away, -he threw aside his respirator and carefully -examined the unconscious men.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let them sleep," said Sharpe, who would -have adopted even more drastic measures -if he could have had his own way. "'Tis -scant mercy they would have shown to us if -we had been in their power."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And now let us get to work, for they will -awaken in seven or eight hours, and we -have much to do. We must prepare for -Colonel Tempest, and also for this raider," -urged Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"But they will not come to-day, Captain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Scarcely, but we must be prepared for -anything. There are only a couple of us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shall we secure these men, in case they -awake earlier than the stipulated time?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, let us remove their slumbering forms -behind the curtain there; we will attend to -them before they awake. I do not like the -idea of strapping down unconscious men, -even though they are criminals. We will -watch them from time to time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then for the next half-hour they carried -out a careful examination of the hangar and -its contents. They were amazed at the -intricate and wonderful mechanism with -which the place was fitted. It seemed -impossible that these things could have been -transported hither without attracting -attention. Parts of aeroplane wings, struts, -propellers, engine-fittings, strange, weird-looking -cylinders, retorts, analytical appliances, -instruments and vessels for chemical research, -powerful but silent dynamos, and numberless -other things, all neatly arranged, and -apparently in working order, half filled the place.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The further they carried their investigation -the more were these two Englishmen -bewildered by what they saw.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it possible," gasped Keane, "or am I -only dreaming? We have discovered the -home of the super-alchemist. After this, -nothing will surprise me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We have discovered the devil's workshop," -replied Sharpe, who did not appear to -be half so enraptured as his friend.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Nay, we shall find the philosopher's stone, -or the </span><em class="italics">elixir vitae</em><span> soon," replied Keane, -continuing his investigation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We are more likely to find the </span><em class="italics">elixir -mortis</em><span> than anything else," said the gloomy -one. "This place gives me the shivers. I -am sure that I shall have cold feet for the rest -of my life."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"After this, Hermes and Geber will be dull -reading," continued the enthusiast. "Give -me the Schwarzwald every time for the real -thrill of the alchemist."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Their time might have been more -profitably employed, at any rate," remarked -Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it is a thousand pities that the -wonderful brain which designed and organised -all this should have had nothing better in -view than brigandage and world revolution."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"More misdirected energy," moaned -Sharpe; "the greatest brains often make the -greatest criminals."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You're a veritable misanthrope, Sharpe!" -said his companion, laughing.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have reason to be," returned the other.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you mean?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I mean this--we're not out of the wood yet."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I agree; we're in the very centre of it," -replied Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yet you did not inflict the </span><em class="italics">coup de grâce</em><span> -on the diabolical vipers, and they will shortly -awake. Moreover, the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> may arrive -unexpectedly, and we shall be unprepared for her."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What would you do?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Bring over the machines from Mulhausen, -ready to fight this air fiend when he comes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ho! So you're longing for another real -air fight, are you, like the 'scraps' we used -to have with the Richthofen 'circus'?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"At any rate, we'd better prepare. Then -I'd bind those two criminals hand and foot or -surround them with live wires, so that, should -they awake unexpectedly, they would not -dare to stir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is certainly something in what you -suggest about bringing the aeroplanes over, -though we should have a deuce of a job to -land them in this place; they're by no means -possessed of the powers of a helicopter. -However, I'll get into touch with Colonel -Tempest and ask for immediate assistance, -and also ask him to bring over Professor -Verne to investigate these mysterious -engineering and chemical appliances."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, leaving the workshop, the live wires and -the prisoners to the care of Sharpe, the senior -airman devoted all the rest of that morning to -investigating the wireless apparatus, -examining the secret codes, and trying to get into -touch with the Commissioner of Aerial Police. -In this, however, he was not very successful, -for the air was full of messages, -concerning an overdue air-liner which had been -expected for some time at Cairo. Perhaps -his message had been jammed or lost in the -aerial jostle.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Colonel Tempest was almost at his wits' end. -He sorely needed the help of his able -assistants. He wanted to send them out east to -chase this daring brigand off the trade routes.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He was unable also to comply with the -request for assistance, when at length it did -reach him, for all his best fighting men, with -the exception of these two in the Black Forest, -had been sent after the raider. He promised, -however, to come personally at the earliest -possible moment, as soon as matters had been -cleared up a little.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Again and again Keane tried to reach him -with brief, but urgent coded messages, -for he was now getting extremely anxious -lest the raider should appear before they -were ready. Sharpe, however, who was -eminently practical, had taken the -professor's own tip, and had laid wires -across the glade, which, when properly -connected up, would make it a dangerous -proceeding for a hostile aeroplane to land there, -while, in the event of a friendly one appearing, -the current could be immediately switched -off. He had seen to the prisoners as well, -for, unknown to Keane, he had, on the first -signs of awakening, given to each of them a -sufficiently strong soporific to extend the -period of their quiescence for a considerably -longer period, so that, late that afternoon, his -friend was somewhat alarmed at their quietude.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>That night they watched in turns, and -relieved each other every two hours. When -morning came they climbed the highest trees -and scanned the horizon in every direction -for the promised help, and also for the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>. But although the column of smoke -from the fire which had been lighted, ascended -all day in one long grey streak to guide the -British airmen, yet morning wore on to -afternoon, and no assistance came.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane sent message after message, but -apparently to no purpose. The very heavens -were full of messages, for the whole civilized -world had been roused by the last daring -feat of the phantom airman. London, Paris, -Cairo, Delhi and New York were clamouring -for his immediate capture and execution. -Strong things, too, were being said about -the incapacity of the much vaunted aerial -police, but all the world realised that the task -before these men was almost superhuman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Twice an urgent message came recalling the -two Englishmen, but Keane replied with the -one word, "Impossible!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And all this time the raider, who was -carefully hiding for a few days, delighted his -companions by retailing with much gusto -such of these messages as he had been able to -piece together from the aerial jumble.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let them send all their available machines -and pilots out east," he had said to Carl and -Max, "then we will quietly slip across -Europe to Ireland, where everything is ripe -for the promised revolution."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the Schwarzwald?" queried Max.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, we will call there for a few hours en -route," replied the pirate, calmly relighting -his pipe, "The professor will understand our -silence and inactivity."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the third morning came, and Keane, -whose anxiety regarding the still sleeping -prisoners had been allayed by Sharpe, who -smilingly confessed what he had done, now -became fearfully uneasy as to the condition -of affairs.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"For heaven's sake light that beacon -again!" he ordered. "If assistance does -not arrive to-day, all these secrets I have -endeavoured to rescue will be lost."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What will you do?" asked his companion, -who was already applying a match to the -pile of dried tinder and sticks.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blow the whole place up," he replied.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And shoot the prisoners?" ventured his -friend, slyly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What then?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rouse them up, somehow, handcuff them -together and take them away."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Some job that," remarked Sharpe, looking -up at the long thin trail of smoke, for there -was still an absence of wind currents.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Even as he gazed into the sky, however, he -caught sight of a tiny speck hovering at -twelve thousand feet, and he almost shouted, -"Aeroplane!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Where?" asked his startled comrade, -whose nerves had undergone some strain -during the past few days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Right up in the blue. There, can you see her?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, I have her now, but she's very high. -Can it be the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, do you think?" asked -the senior.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Cannot say yet. I'll fetch the glasses."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Run for them, quickly! I cannot hear -her engines at all. It must be the brigand."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, there, I hear the engines now, very -faintly, though. Rolls-Royce engines too, -thank God!" exclaimed Keane fervently, as -he recognised the well-known sound, and -knew that assistance had arrived at last, in -the shape of at least one Bristol Fighter.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's all right, Sharpe. Cut off that -beastly current. Tempest will be here in a -minute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you sure it's Tempest?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Listen to that! Now he's cut his -engine out again, and he's coming down. It's -the chief right enough; I should know his -flying amongst a score of aeroplanes."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The wires were cut off, a temporary landing-tee -quickly rigged up on the ground, and -frantic signals were made to the pilot, who -was now rapidly coming down in sharp spirals.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A few minutes later the intrepid pilot -flattened out above the tree tops, dipped -again, banked steeply, and sideslipped almost -to the ground, in order to get into the -confined and narrow space which served the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> for an aerodrome. Scarcely had he -landed when another machine, which had -followed him from England, performed the -same highly-skilled manoeuvre, and taxied up -to the little group.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="the-coming-fight"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXI</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">THE COMING FIGHT</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Good-morning, Colonel!" cried the two -airmen, saluting their chief smartly, as he -still sat in the aeroplane, looking not a little -crabbed and sour, as he secretly swore at the -infamous stretch of ground misnamed an -aerodrome; then turned his gaze upon the -two airmen who had appealed for assistance.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Morning! So this is where you young -cubs spend your holidays, while the whole -world is ramping at me for not catching this -infernal brigand. What have you got to say -for yourselves?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane was not at all put out by this dour -greeting; he knew his chief too well, and -admired him accordingly. Merit is not always -accompanied by a bland and urbane countenance, -neither do brains always accompany -a white shirt front.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I have that to say which will almost make -you jump out of your skin, sir," replied -Keane, "but we must somehow get these -aeroplanes under cover, or properly -camouflaged, for the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> may arrive any -minute."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Eh? What's that you say, boy?" -exclaimed Tempest, leaping from the fuselage. -"The </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why, that is the name of your infernal -raider, isn't it, Captain Watson?" and here -the colonel turned and addressed his passenger, -who was none other than the skipper of the -air-liner which had been so roughly handled -in the Hamadian Desert.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The same, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the professor, Keane? I sent you -to track the professor. Have you found him?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"He is our prisoner, Colonel," and Keane -bowed stiffly, and pointed to the half-hidden -hangar, where the two prisoners, who were now -partly roused, had been safely secured.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>An exclamation of pleasure and surprise -broke from this dour-looking man when he -heard this news, and his face became wreathed -with smiles as he advanced to both Keane -and Sharpe, shook them warmly by the hand, -and said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thank you, my boys; I knew if it could -be done you would do it, though I could ill -spare you for the job. Yesterday my -reputation was in shreds; I am to be charged with -inefficiency, and a public enquiry is to be held. -But you two wolf cubs have re-established my -character; I can never thank you enough. -Now lead on, show us this evil-minded -genius! Professor Verne here, who has come -in the second Bristol, with Captain Hooper, is -anxious to see him. He may redeem him yet -from the error of his ways, and it is vital that -this secret of his should be in other and better -hands, else it will always be a danger to the public."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So, whilst the party were conducted -indoors, and shown the marvels of the modern -house of alchemy, the two professors were -introduced, and began a series of disputations, -very embittered at first, as the German, -though relieved of his bonds, and made -as comfortable as the circumstances would -permit, resolutely refused to give any -particulars of his discovery, or even to display -the slightest amiability towards his -distinguished visitor, though they were not -unknown to each other, and had even studied -at Heidelberg together in their younger days.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Meanwhile, all possible steps were taken to -prepare for the possible arrival of the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>. -The Bristol machines, after being carefully -stowed away in a gap between the trees, were -so camouflaged by branches of pine and larch -that they presented but a very indistinct -object from the air, and, unless their presence -were known, might easily remain unobserved.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>After some time had been spent in -examining the highly developed and intricate -mechanism of the devil's workshop, as the -place was now called, the Commissioner -suddenly turned upon his chief mentor, and -said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"By the way, Keane, have you discovered -any drawings or designs of this wonderful -aeroplane? I don't see any amongst this -pile of papers, and the professor does not -seem inclined to help us at all."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir. We have searched the place -carefully, but we have found nothing. Part of -the machine could certainly be reconstructed -from those spares, but all the important parts -are missing. I have an overwhelming curiosity -to see the machine, though, and hope that I -may not have this pleasure much longer delayed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then we have nothing but these photographs," -returned the captain.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Photographs?" echoed Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes. Why, I forgot to tell you in the -bewilderment and excitement of the last -hour, that Captain Watson here managed to -secure three snapshots of the raider in -mid-air, whilst his airship was being attacked."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It was the boy Gadget who secured them, -sir," interposed the air-skipper, anxious to -give credit where credit was due.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Oh, yes, Keane, I ought to say that it -was a smart little beggar called Gadget, a -stowaway, who really secured the photographs, -and hid them away from the brigand. -We must see that the little chap is properly -rewarded when we return."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me see the pictures, sir," requested -Keane, eager to get some idea of his future -opponent.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here they are. I have had them developed -and enlarged. They should be extremely -useful to us, as we shall shortly have to encounter -this Sultan Selim, Air King of the Hamadian -Desert, the world's greatest bandit, who had -the audacity to send me this document by the -captain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And here the colonel, having retailed the -whole story of the fight in the desert, showed -the brigand's letter, which had been brought to -London the previous day by the fast aeroplane -which had carried the skipper of the air-liner.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane turned in amazement from the clear -photographs of the phantom-bird to the brief, -audacious letter of the phantom airman, and -read as follows:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"To Colonel Tempest, D.S.O., M.C.,</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Commissioner of Aerial Police, Scotland -Yard, London, W.C.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Greetings from Sultan Selim, Air King -of the Hamadian Desert. I regret to inform -you that of late there has been a serious -increase of aerial crime in these regions. -The frequent passing of large airships -containing mails and other commodities, without -due payment of tribute to my customs -officials, is a serious infringement of the -laws of my dominion. This action not only -imperils the liberties of small communities, -but is also a crafty form of aerial brigandage, -inasmuch as it defrauds my exchequer of its -just and equitable revenue. This practice -must cease forthwith, and I have taken -steps to-day which, in my opinion, will render -it unwise for this shameful trespass to -continue. The bearer of this letter will give -you further details of the action which I -have been compelled to take on behalf of my -subjects. Your five missing scouts will be -found between the wells of Nefud and the -Hedjaz coast. I have destroyed their machines -as a salutary warning to future violaters of -these my dominions."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Keane could scarcely restrain a smile when -he laid down this wily, half-humorous, -half-threatening epistolary from the aerial pirate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What do you think of it?" asked the colonel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It's a topping letter, sir, but I think he's -trying hard to be funny, this von Spitzer, as -you call him. A German with a sense of -humour, sir, that's the best way to regard -him," replied the airman.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Humour indeed!" rasped out the -colonel, becoming ruffled. "It's confounded -impudence, and worse, when you remember -that, apart from the damage to the airship, -which is considerable, there is a net loss of -specie and other valuables--to wit, the -Maharajah's jewels--which is estimated at a -quarter of a million sterling. I only hope and -pray that we may encounter and waylay this -bandit before he does any more damage. The -deuce only knows what he'll do next, or where -he'll go."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ireland is to be the scene of his next -adventure, sir," remarked Keane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ireland?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Are you sure?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I heard the professor say so. They are -to work hand in hand with the revolutionists -there, and stir up strife which will make that -unhappy land a still greater thorn in the side -of Great Britain."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just what I feared!" exclaimed the now -irate commissioner. "That explains partly -those mysterious messages and rumours -floating about Dingle Bay, and unfortunately I -have had to withdraw nearly all the aerial -police from that quarter to send them out east."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You might as well recall them, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Why?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The raider has left the Hamadian -Desert by this time, and is in hiding -somewhere, but will call here on his way to -Ireland."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"H'm! We're being thoroughly fooled, -and if you hadn't found this demon's nest I -should have gone mad. At any rate I -should have been compelled to resign my post."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Still, public opinion had to be satisfied, -and you sent the patrols where the public -demanded that they should be sent. Besides, -if you recall them now, this raider will -probably pick up your messages and change -his tactics. I can tell you this, Colonel, that -while he can get his necessary supplies of -uranis, and a few extra spares from the -workshop here, this von Spitzer intends to -carry out his mad policy of destroying the -civilized world by piecemeal. It is all part -of a great plan to save Germany from the evil -consequences of the Peace terms. But, whilst -we hold this citadel, and retain these two men -captive, his activities are limited to his -present supply of this secret element--uranis."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The colonel swore under his breath, and -went to examine the prisoners, to make sure -that there was no chance of their escaping, -for he felt the truth of Keane's words. He -now felt grateful that the airman had not -responded to the message for his recall, although -it had amounted to a serious breach of -discipline.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, well," he said at length, "it only -remains to capture this raider, and the whole -system of their clever and daring attempt -to convulse the Allies, break up their -international system of mail transit, stop the -intercourse of civilized nations, and cause -a world revolution--all these things will fail."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So their efforts were redoubled to make -preparations to capture the wonder 'plane, -should it descend on the aerodrome. A -couple of machine guns were found, and -mounted, under the charge of Sharpe and -Captain Hooper, though the skipper of the -airliner pointed out that the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> carried -bullet-proof armour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You will need to hit her in a vital -spot," he said, "so that your first burst -may be your last, or she will be up again like -a helicopter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then we must have the two Bristols -ready," urged the colonel, "though it's a -deuce of a hole to get out of with this new -type of a Bristol Fighter."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And the petrol, sir?" asked Keane, who, -was rather anxious on this point, for he hoped -that the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> would become his victim in -the coming air fight.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There may be sufficient for another two -hours, certainly not more."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"That means unless the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> chooses -to stay and fight, she'll simply leave us."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Von Spitzer will fight unless I stop him!" -called out the professor from behind the -curtains, where he was confined under the -charge of his colleague of other days, for he -had been listening to the conversation.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"So much the better!" replied Keane, tartly.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"And when the fight is over there won't be -many of you left alive to tell the story," came -the rejoinder.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst" id="an-aerial-duel"><span class="bold large">CHAPTER XXII</span></p> -<p class="center pnext"><span class="bold medium">AN AERIAL DUEL</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>"Message from the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, sir!" cried -Keane, a little before midday, from the little -key-board where he had been patiently -waiting for the last hour.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Good! What does the brigand say?" asked Tempest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Expects to be here within an hour."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then we haven't a moment to lose," -replied the colonel. "At the same time, I -am glad we have had this message, for to be -forewarned is to be fore-armed."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, turning to Keane, whom he knew to -be his best and most brilliant pilot, he said, -"Where would you like to be stationed, boy?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>A sudden gleam came into the youth's eyes, -for he saw that his chance had come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Let me have all the spare petrol from the -other machine, and let me get up above the -clouds in that new No. 7 Bristol Fighter -which you brought over, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'm afraid it means certain death for you, -my lad," replied the chief, after a pause, -unwilling to permit the youth to take such -unknown risks, and yet still more unwilling to -deny him his request. "This </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, -according to Captain Watson, must be some -stunting machine."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I am willing to take the risks, sir," replied -Keane. "It is not my first fight with a Hun."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Don't I know it, boy!" replied the other, -gazing with fond admiration into the frank -and pleasing face of the pilot. "The ribbons -which you gained speak for themselves, but -they don't tell half the story. Don't I -remember the morning when you went over -the line by yourself, and encountered seven -enemy machines, how you fought with them -for an hour and brought five of them down, -chased the others till your machine threatened -to break up, then turned and staggered home -with your wings shot to ribbons?" and the -colonel fondly patted the youth's shoulder.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Then let me go, sir. The brigand will be -not a little confounded to find himself attacked -both from the ground and the air at the same time."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"You shall go!" said the colonel after -another pause. "Will you take a gunner with you?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"No, sir. I would rather go alone."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And while the petrol was drawn off from -the other machine, No. 7 was brought out, -filled up, and tested, ready to start at a -moment's notice. The Vickers gun, fixed -forward to fire through the propeller, was -carefully examined, and several drums of the -new armour-piercing bullets placed in position. -Another moment was given to the alignment -of the gun-sight, a matter of supreme importance -in an aerial duel like this one promised to -be, for the slightest error in this respect would -be like courting disaster.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Ten minutes later the signal was given to -stand clear, the colonel himself swung the -propeller, and, instantly, the powerful -350 H.P. Rolls-Royce burst into life with a -crackle and a roar, and, when the chocks were -withdrawn, the Bristol dashed across the -ground, leapt into the air at sixty yards, and -by a steep climb just cleared the tops of the -trees on the edge of the forest.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"What are his chances, Colonel?" asked -Captain Hooper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The chief shook his head as though doubtful -of the result, then, after watching the -machine for a moment, as it climbed in rapid -spirals up into the clouds which half covered -the sky at four thousand feet, he said:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"There is no pilot aboard the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, or -any other machine for that matter, who can -hold a candle to Keane, but--it is the amazing -speed and climbing powers of the other -machine that I fear. Still, it will be some -fight, and if we fail to trap the brigand down -here, well, it is just possible, despite his -disadvantages, that Keane may bring the rascal -down. He'll have to keep well out of sight, -though, and run at less than half-throttle -behind that cloud bank till the moment comes -to strike. And now to stations, all of you, -and keep well out of sight. Professor Verne, -I am afraid you will have to take charge of -the two prisoners. Don't let them get away -for heaven's sake. You must shoot them first."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I'll take care of them, Colonel," replied -the eminent man, "though it is a somewhat -unusual occupation for me."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Needs must when the devil drives, Professor! -I told you it would be some desperate -adventure. Have you had any luck with -that evil genius, yet?"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Not the slightest, so far. He is prejudiced -against the English mind, and is secretly -rejoicing over the expected arrival of the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Tell him from me, Professor, that if he -attempts to escape, I shall shoot both him and -his accomplice without the slightest compunction," -said the colonel, as he turned away to -re-examine all his defensive posts, and to -alter the position of one of the machine -guns, which had been entrusted to Captain Sharpe.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Fifteen minutes passed away, and the -Bristol, hidden away behind the cloud bank, -kept its engine well-throttled down, lest the -roar of the powerful motor should reveal its -presence, when, suddenly, from one of the -watchers, the cry arose:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Aeroplane approaching from the south-east."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Is it the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, Captain Watson?" -the colonel asked, as soon as the machine had -been located.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Yes, it is the same brigand, sir."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then, with amazement bordering on the -supernatural, the little garrison saw the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> moving across the sky at a miraculous -speed, and making directly for the secret -aerodrome. Once or twice it circled around -at three thousand feet, then dived a clean two -thousand five hundred upon its objective, -silently, like a mysterious phantom bird. At five -hundred feet it flattened out, rode gaily above -the tree tops, then swooping like a falcon, once -more touched the ground lightly, and came to -rest within thirty yards of the secret hangar.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Haende in die hohe!" cried Colonel -Tempest, stepping out into the open, and -confronting the visitors with a couple of -revolvers, as they prepared to leap from the -armoured conning-tower.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ach Himmel! We are betrayed!" cried -Spitzer. "The </span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> English have -captured the aerodrome."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Without thought of surrender the brigands -tumbled swiftly back into the armoured -cell, just as a shower of bullets from both -revolvers swept the upper surface of the cockpit.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Fire!" shouted Tempest, stepping back, -as the daring bandits, regardless of the danger, -started the propellers once more by means of -the self-starting knob, within the conning-tower.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And the next instant, even as the machine -turned and raced for safety, a terrific hail of -bullets from the two machine guns swept the -</span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> from stem to stern. One of her -machine guns was swept from its mountings, -and it is believed that one at least of her crew -was wounded, probably by the Colonel's -revolver shots, but as for surrender, the pirates -would have none of it, as, apparently unhurt -in any vital spot, the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> recrossed the -aerodrome, staggering once or twice under the -fierce welter of bullets, managed to leave the -ground, and sail over the tree tops out of -immediate range.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Confound it! She's absolutely bullet-proof!" -shouted the colonel, who was furious -at his failure, for his object had been to -capture the machine and its crew wholesale, -because of its valuable secrets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"We shall see no more of her!" exclaimed -Captain Hooper.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Just wait a moment," said the skipper of -the air-liner. "She'll have something to say -presently. You don't know these infernal -brigands."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The last speaker was right, for a moment -later the infuriated Spitzer, sweeping round -at a frightful speed, swooped down upon the -little hangar, where he presumed the English -were in possession, swept the place with a -burst of machine gun fire from his remaining -gun, then dropped a bomb filled with high -explosive right into the middle of the structure; -whilst he, himself, was screened by the trees -from the enemy's fire.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The roar of the explosion was deafening, -and several trees in the vicinity of the -workshop were blown to fragments, whilst the -workshop was now a tangled mass of wreckage. -It was also burning furiously, and a thick -pall of dense smoke already hung over the spot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"The professor!--we must save him!" -cried Tempest, who was already limping -from a bomb splinter which had pierced -his leg.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Captain Watson ran to help him, but the -two machine gunners, Sharpe and Hooper, -stuck to their posts ready for the next attack, -which they knew would not be long delayed, -for Spitzer, during his last circuit, had -marked the position of the two machine -gun posts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>As the rescuers hastened to the assistance -of the prisoners, they came upon Professor -Verne, bleeding from the hands and face, -dragging the prostrate form of the German -from amid the burning wreckage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Ah, you are wounded?" cried the colonel.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"It is nothing," replied the other. "See -to the mechanic. I fear he is killed, poor -fellow, by his own countrymen."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was so; his mangled form was found -buried under the </span><em class="italics">débris</em><span> of the workshop. The -German professor and his rescuer were both -helped to safety; then the battle began -again.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Here comes the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>!" shouted -Captain Watson. "Look out there!" and -instantly the air resounded with the sharp, -short crackle of the air brigand's gun--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Rep-r-r-r-r-r----!" as the raider swept the -machine gun posts.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>At this very instant, however, the sound of -whistling wires came suddenly from overhead, -as something swooped down from the dizzy -heights upon the attacker. Then the sharp -crackle of a Vickers gun rent the air, as, in -a headlong dive of two thousand feet, the -Bristol Fighter hurtled down, spitting fire -through the whirling propeller, and driving -its quarry almost to the ground by its -unexpected onslaught.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>By a miracle almost, the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> escaped -a terrible crash, flattening out within two -feet of the ground in the middle of the glade, -then started its upward climb to -out-manoeuvre its new opponent, for the rest -of this terrific combat was confined to the air.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The little garrison below came out to see -this thrilling spectacle, and even the wounded -German raised himself to watch the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, -as he expected, give its </span><em class="italics">coup de grâce</em><span> to its -clumsy opponent. The fight now was for -altitude, dead angles, and the blind side of each -opponent, but more especially for altitude, -for this is the equivalent in an aerial duel of -the windward position, in the days of the old -frigates.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Once, after climbing on the turn, the two -machines approached each other dead on, and -each opened a burst of fire simultaneously on -its opponent. Carl, the scout pilot, was -handling the solitary gun, and, if his aim had -been more steady, that would have marked -the finish of the fight. On the other hand -Keane's bullets pattered with unerring aim -upon the armoured conning-tower, but with -little effect, for so far the finely-tempered -steel resisted even these armour-piercing bullets.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The watchers down below trembled with -rage--all save the German--when they saw -this fearful waste of markmanship, but up -there, calm and collected, the British pilot -clenched his teeth and muttered:--</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"I must find his dead angle! I will -attack him from below."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Then followed a series of thrilling -manoeuvres, in which the daring skill of the -Englishman alone saved him from his too-powerful -opponent. The </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, using its -superior speed, made a desperate effort to sit -upon its opponent's tail, a deadly position if -it could only be attained. But, looping, -banking, sideslipping and occasionally -spinning, the Bristol out-manoeuvred its -enemy every time.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Shade of Richthofen!" exclaimed the -infuriated Spitzer; "but this </span><em class="italics">verdammt</em><span> -Britisher is some pilot."</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Carl had become nervous and agitated at the -gun, and his shooting had begun to annoy his -leader, who shouted angrily, "Let Max take -the gun, dachshund!"</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But Max was huddled up in the bottom of -the cockpit with an English bullet through -his head; he had fired his last shot.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Blitz! Here he comes again!" shouted -the German pilot, as his opponent in the -roaring Bristol, with engine full out, made as -though he would ram his enemy in mid-air, -though such was not his intention.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Himmel, what does he mean?" yelled -Spitzer, as he also opened out to avert the -threatened collision, then pulled over the -controls, stalled his machine, and attempted -a vertical climb.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>"Thanks be!" muttered Keane, for this -gave him just the opportunity he sought. -For two brief seconds the nether part of the -fuselage, the only weak spot in the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, -was exposed, and with a quick eye and -unerring aim the British pilot poured a short -burst into the very vitals of his enemy, then -dived for safety.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It was the end of the fight, for the -armour-piercing bullets ripped through the softer, -thinner steel of its victim, passed through the -chamber where the high-pressure cylinders -which contained the uranis were kept, and -weakened or cracked one of those deadly -things, which were at once both the strength -and the weakness of the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>--the only -thing, as her pilot once said, that its crew need -fear.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Down, down sped the Bristol, as though -conscious of the terrible catastrophe which -would shortly follow. It was well that -she did, for, ten seconds later, it seemed -as if the end of the world had suddenly come.</span></p> -<p class="pnext" id="id1"><span>Even while the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> was poised in mid-air, -in the very act of her last vertical climb, -with nose pointed to the skies, the frightful -explosion occurred. The terrified onlookers -threw themselves flat upon the ground, but -even the earth rocked, and huge trees of the -forest were uprooted. It was as though the -mighty concussion had veritably blown a hole -hi the universe. The </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span>, with all her -crew, disappeared as if by magic, blown into -ten thousand fragments, and scattered like -blazing meteors to the very extremities of the -Schwarzwald, while the British aeroplane -did not escape but crashed to earth, with its -unconscious pilot still firmly holding the -controls.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Thus did the </span><em class="italics">Scorpion</em><span> meet her end, after -all the vaunted pride and skill of her founders. -In that place where she was born, there also did -she come to an inglorious end, in the very -presence of the evil-minded genius who had -designed her. Even the dying German -professor at last saw the error of his ways, and -wished, in his latest hours, that his energy and -skill had been devoted to a purpose more -lofty and humane.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The great shock of that mighty explosion -was felt for a hundred miles and more. In -far distant lands the seismographic -instruments recorded its effects. Some said that a -great earthquake had occurred in central -Europe, but the Allied Command on the -Rhine thought that some mighty secret -ammunition dump in the Schwarzwald had -been accidentally destroyed, and they sent -assistance in every shape and form. And -the first to arrive were the aerial patrols, with -medicines and supplies, for the survivors on -that blackened, devastated aerodrome.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The unconscious pilot was extricated from -the wreckage of the Bristol Fighter, and -after months of careful nursing he was -restored to convalescence, but he will never -fly again. For his daring deed, he was -honoured by his country, and decorated by his -King. Sharpe, Hooper and Captain Watson, -though severely wounded, recovered from their -injuries. Professor Verne had a miraculous -escape from death when the brigands bombed -the hangar, and Colonel Tempest--though -for the rest of his days he will limp with the -aid of a stick--was mighty glad to lay down -his high office with a reputation untarnished, -and with the added honour of a knighthood, -and a substantial pension.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>It now but remains to tell what happened -to that brilliant but misguided German, the -renowned Professor Rudolf Weissmann. He -lingered for another day after the terrible -event which had befallen his fortune, and his -friend Sir Joseph Verne, constant as ever, -waited beside him and tended him amid his -sufferings, for there is a wonderful spirit of -brotherhood and fraternity amongst men -of learning. They are the children of no -particular country, for their parish is the -world, and, like our own Shakespeare, the -whole earth claims them for its own.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>And when he saw that the time of his -departure was at hand, this erring genius no -longer tried to withhold from the world the -great secret which he held, but, desiring to -make what amends he could for the evil he -had wrought, he freely offered to reveal the -secret to his old time friend and fellow-student.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>But, alas, he had left it too long. The -candle of life was flickering within him, and -the end was too near. Even while, with true -repentance, he endeavoured to give the -hidden formula of the mysterious uranis to -his friend, he fell back exhausted and his -spirit fled.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>So the wonderful secret was never revealed, -for it lies buried deep in a thousand fragments, -amid the dark recesses of the Schwarzwald. -But Hans, the clock maker, and his friend -Jacob Stendahl the wood cutter, and many -more beside, who dwell amid the legend and -folklore of the Black Forest, still assert that -at certain times, especially when the full -round moon casts its silvery light over the -Schwarzwald, the peasant who treads these -lonely paths may see the phantom airman on -his ghostly 'plane.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 1em"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>As for Gadget, the little urchin of a -stowaway, the sharp-witted, up-to-date cabin -boy who photographed the raider in mid-air, -and rendered such valuable service to the -authorities, he was duly rewarded. The -Commissioner of Aerial Police pinned a gold -medal on to his little tunic, soon after the -great air-liner returned to London, and even -delivered a speech in his honour, congratulating -him upon his resourcefulness and courage.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>He is no longer a street arab, for Captain -Watson has adopted him, and sent him to a -preparatory school, where he is pursuing a -useful course of studies. But, when the long -summer holidays arrive, you will find Gadget, -dressed in a smart little uniform, with plenty -of gold braid about his cap and tunic, standing -beside the captain or the chief officer, in the -navigating gondola of the </span><em class="italics">Empress of India</em><span>. -All who know him speak highly of him. And -there are even those who believe that this -little, mischievous, up-to-date cabin boy and -erstwhile stowaway will one day be one of -out great air-skippers.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>THE END.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span class="small">THE LONDON AND NORWICH PRESS, LIMITED, LONDON AND NORWICH, ENGLAND</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="center pfirst"><span>* * * * * * * *</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 4em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="bold large">THE GREAT -<br />ADVENTURE -<br />SERIES</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><em class="italics">Titles uniform with this Series</em></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="bold">Percy F. Westerman:</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>The Airship "Golden Hind" -<br />To the Fore with the Tanks -<br />The Secret Battleplane -<br />Wllmshurst of the Frontier Force</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span class="bold">Rowland Walker:</span></p> -<p class="noindent pnext"><span>The Phantom Airman -<br />Dastral of the Flying Corps -<br />Deville McKeene: The Exploits of the Mystery Airman -<br />Blake of the Merchant Service -<br />Buckle of Submarine V2 -<br />Oscar Danby, V.C.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 2em"> -</div> -<p class="noindent pfirst"><span>S. W. PARTRIDGE & CO. -<br />4, 5 & 6, SOHO -<br />LONDON, W.1.</span></p> -<div class="vspace" style="height: 6em"> -</div> -<!-- -*- encoding: utf-8 -*- --> -<div class="backmatter"> -</div> -<p class="pfirst" id="pg-end-line"><span>*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK </span><span>THE PHANTOM AIRMAN</span><span> ***</span></p> -<div class="cleardoublepage"> -</div> -<div class="language-en level-2 pgfooter section" id="a-word-from-project-gutenberg" xml:lang="en" lang="en"> -<span id="pg-footer"></span><h2 class="level-2 pfirst section-title title"><span>A Word from Project Gutenberg</span></h2> -<p class="pfirst"><span>We will update this book if we find any errors.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>This book can be found under: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43264"><span>http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/43264</span></a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no one -owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation (and -you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set -forth in the General Terms of Use part of this license, apply to -copying and distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works to -protect the Project Gutenberg™ concept and trademark. Project -Gutenberg is a registered trademark, and may not be used if you charge -for the eBooks, unless you receive specific permission. If you do not -charge anything for copies of this eBook, complying with the rules is -very easy. You may use this eBook for nearly any purpose such as -creation of derivative works, reports, performances and research. -They may be modified and printed and given away – you may do -practically </span><em class="italics">anything</em><span> with public domain eBooks. Redistribution is -subject to the trademark license, especially commercial -redistribution.</span></p> -<div class="level-3 section" id="the-full-project-gutenberg-license"> -<span id="project-gutenberg-license"></span><h3 class="level-3 pfirst section-title title"><span>The Full Project Gutenberg License</span></h3> -<p class="pfirst"><em class="italics">Please read this before you distribute or use this work.</em></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>To protect the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting the free -distribution of electronic works, by using or distributing this work -(or any other work associated in any way with the phrase “Project -Gutenberg”), you agree to comply with all the terms of the Full -Project Gutenberg™ License available with this file or online at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/license">http://www.gutenberg.org/license</a><span>.</span></p> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-1-general-terms-of-use-redistributing-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 1. General Terms of Use & Redistributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.A.</strong><span> By reading or using any part of this Project Gutenberg™ -electronic work, you indicate that you have read, understand, agree to -and accept all the terms of this license and intellectual property -(trademark/copyright) agreement. If you do not agree to abide by all -the terms of this agreement, you must cease using and return or -destroy all copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in your -possession. If you paid a fee for obtaining a copy of or access to a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work and you do not agree to be bound by -the terms of this agreement, you may obtain a refund from the person -or entity to whom you paid the fee as set forth in paragraph 1.E.8.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.B.</strong><span> “Project Gutenberg” is a registered trademark. It may only be -used on or associated in any way with an electronic work by people who -agree to be bound by the terms of this agreement. There are a few -things that you can do with most Project Gutenberg™ electronic works -even without complying with the full terms of this agreement. See -paragraph 1.C below. There are a lot of things you can do with Project -Gutenberg™ electronic works if you follow the terms of this agreement -and help preserve free future access to Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works. See paragraph 1.E below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.C.</strong><span> The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation (“the -Foundation” or PGLAF), owns a compilation copyright in the collection -of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works. Nearly all the individual -works in the collection are in the public domain in the United -States. If an individual work is in the public domain in the United -States and you are located in the United States, we do not claim a -right to prevent you from copying, distributing, performing, -displaying or creating derivative works based on the work as long as -all references to Project Gutenberg are removed. Of course, we hope -that you will support the Project Gutenberg™ mission of promoting free -access to electronic works by freely sharing Project Gutenberg™ works -in compliance with the terms of this agreement for keeping the Project -Gutenberg™ name associated with the work. You can easily comply with -the terms of this agreement by keeping this work in the same format -with its attached full Project Gutenberg™ License when you share it -without charge with others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.D.</strong><span> The copyright laws of the place where you are located also -govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most -countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside the -United States, check the laws of your country in addition to the terms -of this agreement before downloading, copying, displaying, performing, -distributing or creating derivative works based on this work or any -other Project Gutenberg™ work. The Foundation makes no -representations concerning the copyright status of any work in any -country outside the United States.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.</strong><span> Unless you have removed all references to Project Gutenberg:</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.1.</strong><span> The following sentence, with active links to, or other -immediate access to, the full Project Gutenberg™ License must appear -prominently whenever any copy of a Project Gutenberg™ work (any work -on which the phrase “Project Gutenberg” appears, or with which the -phrase “Project Gutenberg” is associated) is accessed, displayed, -performed, viewed, copied or distributed:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.2.</strong><span> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -derived from the public domain (does not contain a notice indicating -that it is posted with permission of the copyright holder), the work -can be copied and distributed to anyone in the United States without -paying any fees or charges. If you are redistributing or providing -access to a work with the phrase “Project Gutenberg” associated with -or appearing on the work, you must comply either with the requirements -of paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 or obtain permission for the use of -the work and the Project Gutenberg™ trademark as set forth in -paragraphs 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.3.</strong><span> If an individual Project Gutenberg™ electronic work is -posted with the permission of the copyright holder, your use and -distribution must comply with both paragraphs 1.E.1 through 1.E.7 and -any additional terms imposed by the copyright holder. Additional terms -will be linked to the Project Gutenberg™ License for all works posted -with the permission of the copyright holder found at the beginning of -this work.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.4.</strong><span> Do not unlink or detach or remove the full Project -Gutenberg™ License terms from this work, or any files containing a -part of this work or any other work associated with Project -Gutenberg™.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.5.</strong><span> Do not copy, display, perform, distribute or redistribute -this electronic work, or any part of this electronic work, without -prominently displaying the sentence set forth in paragraph 1.E.1 with -active links or immediate access to the full terms of the Project -Gutenberg™ License.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.6.</strong><span> You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary, -compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form, including -any word processing or hypertext form. However, if you provide access -to or distribute copies of a Project Gutenberg™ work in a format other -than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other format used in the official -version posted on the official Project Gutenberg™ web site -(</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a><span>), you must, at no additional cost, fee or -expense to the user, provide a copy, a means of exporting a copy, or a -means of obtaining a copy upon request, of the work in its original -“Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other form. Any alternate format must include -the full Project Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.7.</strong><span> Do not charge a fee for access to, viewing, displaying, -performing, copying or distributing any Project Gutenberg™ works -unless you comply with paragraph 1.E.8 or 1.E.9.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.E.8.</strong><span> You may charge a reasonable fee for copies of or providing -access to or distributing Project Gutenberg™ electronic works provided -that</span></p> -<ul class="open"> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from -the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the method you -already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The fee is owed to -the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark, but he has agreed to -donate royalties under this paragraph to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty payments must be paid within 60 -days following each date on which you prepare (or are legally -required to prepare) your periodic tax returns. Royalty payments -should be clearly marked as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg -Literary Archive Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, -“Information about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary -Archive Foundation.”</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You provide a full refund of any money paid by a user who notifies -you in writing (or by e-mail) within 30 days of receipt that s/he -does not agree to the terms of the full Project Gutenberg™ -License. You must require such a user to return or destroy all -copies of the works possessed in a physical medium and discontinue -all use of and all access to other copies of Project Gutenberg™ -works.</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You provide, in accordance with paragraph 1.F.3, a full refund of -any money paid for a work or a replacement copy, if a defect in the -electronic work is discovered and reported to you within 90 days of -receipt of the work.</span></p> -</li> -<li><p class="first pfirst"><span>You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free -distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.</span></p> -</li> -</ul> -<p class="pfirst"><strong class="bold">1.E.9.</strong><span> If you wish to charge a fee or distribute a Project -Gutenberg™ electronic work or group of works on different terms than -are set forth in this agreement, you must obtain permission in writing -from both the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -Michael Hart, the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark. Contact -the Foundation as set forth in Section 3. below.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.</strong></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.1.</strong><span> Project Gutenberg volunteers and employees expend -considerable effort to identify, do copyright research on, transcribe -and proofread public domain works in creating the Project Gutenberg™ -collection. Despite these efforts, Project Gutenberg™ electronic -works, and the medium on which they may be stored, may contain -“Defects,” such as, but not limited to, incomplete, inaccurate or -corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other intellectual -property infringement, a defective or damaged disk or other medium, a -computer virus, or computer codes that damage or cannot be read by -your equipment.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.2.</strong><span> LIMITED WARRANTY, DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES – Except for the -“Right of Replacement or Refund” described in paragraph 1.F.3, the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation, the owner of the -Project Gutenberg™ trademark, and any other party distributing a -Project Gutenberg™ electronic work under this agreement, disclaim all -liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including legal -fees. YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE, STRICT -LIABILITY, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR BREACH OF CONTRACT EXCEPT THOSE -PROVIDED IN PARAGRAPH 1.F.3. YOU AGREE THAT THE FOUNDATION, THE -TRADEMARK OWNER, AND ANY DISTRIBUTOR UNDER THIS AGREEMENT WILL NOT BE -LIABLE TO YOU FOR ACTUAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR -INCIDENTAL DAMAGES EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH -DAMAGE.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.3.</strong><span> LIMITED RIGHT OF REPLACEMENT OR REFUND – If you discover a -defect in this electronic work within 90 days of receiving it, you can -receive a refund of the money (if any) you paid for it by sending a -written explanation to the person you received the work from. If you -received the work on a physical medium, you must return the medium -with your written explanation. The person or entity that provided you -with the defective work may elect to provide a replacement copy in -lieu of a refund. If you received the work electronically, the person -or entity providing it to you may choose to give you a second -opportunity to receive the work electronically in lieu of a refund. If -the second copy is also defective, you may demand a refund in writing -without further opportunities to fix the problem.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.4.</strong><span> Except for the limited right of replacement or refund set -forth in paragraph 1.F.3, this work is provided to you ‘AS-IS,’ WITH -NO OTHER WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT -LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PURPOSE.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.5.</strong><span> Some states do not allow disclaimers of certain implied -warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain types of -damages. If any disclaimer or limitation set forth in this agreement -violates the law of the state applicable to this agreement, the -agreement shall be interpreted to make the maximum disclaimer or -limitation permitted by the applicable state law. The invalidity or -unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not void the -remaining provisions.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><strong class="bold">1.F.6.</strong><span> INDEMNITY – You agree to indemnify and hold the Foundation, -the trademark owner, any agent or employee of the Foundation, anyone -providing copies of Project Gutenberg™ electronic works in accordance -with this agreement, and any volunteers associated with the -production, promotion and distribution of Project Gutenberg™ -electronic works, harmless from all liability, costs and expenses, -including legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of -the following which you do or cause to occur: (a) distribution of this -or any Project Gutenberg™ work, (b) alteration, modification, or -additions or deletions to any Project Gutenberg™ work, and (c) any -Defect you cause.</span></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-2-information-about-the-mission-of-project-gutenberg"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 2. Information about the Mission of Project Gutenberg™</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Project Gutenberg™ is synonymous with the free distribution of -electronic works in formats readable by the widest variety of -computers including obsolete, old, middle-aged and new computers. It -exists because of the efforts of hundreds of volunteers and donations -from people in all walks of life.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Volunteers and financial support to provide volunteers with the -assistance they need, is critical to reaching Project Gutenberg™'s -goals and ensuring that the Project Gutenberg™ collection will remain -freely available for generations to come. In 2001, the Project -Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation was created to provide a secure -and permanent future for Project Gutenberg™ and future generations. To -learn more about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation and -how your efforts and donations can help, see Sections 3 and 4 and the -Foundation web page at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a><span> .</span></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-3-information-about-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 3. Information about the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation is a non profit -501(c)(3) educational corporation organized under the laws of the -state of Mississippi and granted tax exempt status by the Internal -Revenue Service. The Foundation's EIN or federal tax identification -number is 64-6221541. Its 501(c)(3) letter is posted at -</span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/pglaf</a><span> . Contributions to the -Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation are tax deductible to -the full extent permitted by U.S. federal laws and your state's laws.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Foundation's principal office is located at 4557 Melan Dr. -S. Fairbanks, AK, 99712., but its volunteers and employees are -scattered throughout numerous locations. Its business office is -located at 809 North 1500 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84116, (801) -596-1887, email </span><a class="reference external" href="mailto:business@pglaf.org">business@pglaf.org</a><span>. Email contact links and up to date -contact information can be found at the Foundation's web site and -official page at </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.pglaf.org">http://www.pglaf.org</a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>For additional contact information:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<div class="line-block outermost"> -<div class="line"><span>Dr. Gregory B. Newby</span></div> -<div class="line"><span>Chief Executive and Director</span></div> -<div class="line"><a class="reference external" href="mailto:gbnewby@pglaf.org">gbnewby@pglaf.org</a></div> -</div> -</div> -</blockquote> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-4-information-about-donations-to-the-project-gutenberg-literary-archive-foundation"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 4. Information about Donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Project Gutenberg™ depends upon and cannot survive without wide spread -public support and donations to carry out its mission of increasing -the number of public domain and licensed works that can be freely -distributed in machine readable form accessible by the widest array of -equipment including outdated equipment. Many small donations ($1 to -$5,000) are particularly important to maintaining tax exempt status -with the IRS.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>The Foundation is committed to complying with the laws regulating -charities and charitable donations in all 50 states of the United -States. Compliance requirements are not uniform and it takes a -considerable effort, much paperwork and many fees to meet and keep up -with these requirements. We do not solicit donations in locations -where we have not received written confirmation of compliance. To SEND -DONATIONS or determine the status of compliance for any particular -state visit </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>While we cannot and do not solicit contributions from states where we -have not met the solicitation requirements, we know of no prohibition -against accepting unsolicited donations from donors in such states who -approach us with offers to donate.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>International donations are gratefully accepted, but we cannot make -any statements concerning tax treatment of donations received from -outside the United States. U.S. laws alone swamp our small staff.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Please check the Project Gutenberg Web pages for current donation -methods and addresses. Donations are accepted in a number of other -ways including checks, online payments and credit card donations. To -donate, please visit: </span><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate">http://www.gutenberg.org/fundraising/donate</a></p> -</div> -<div class="level-4 section" id="section-5-general-information-about-project-gutenberg-electronic-works"> -<h4 class="level-4 pfirst section-title title"><span>Section 5. General Information About Project Gutenberg™ electronic works.</span></h4> -<p class="pfirst"><span>Professor Michael S. Hart is the originator of the Project Gutenberg™ -concept of a library of electronic works that could be freely shared -with anyone. For thirty years, he produced and distributed Project -Gutenberg™ eBooks with only a loose network of volunteer support.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Project Gutenberg™ eBooks are often created from several printed -editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the -U.S. unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we do not -necessarily keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper -edition.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Each eBook is in a subdirectory of the same number as the eBook's -eBook number, often in several formats including plain vanilla ASCII, -compressed (zipped), HTML and others.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Corrected </span><em class="italics">editions</em><span> of our eBooks replace the old file and take over -the old filename and etext number. The replaced older file is -renamed. </span><em class="italics">Versions</em><span> based on separate sources are treated as new -eBooks receiving new filenames and etext numbers.</span></p> -<p class="pnext"><span>Most people start at our Web site which has the main PG search -facility:</span></p> -<blockquote> -<div> -<p class="pfirst"><a class="reference external" href="http://www.gutenberg.org">http://www.gutenberg.org</a></p> -</div> -</blockquote> -<p class="pfirst"><span>This Web site includes information about Project Gutenberg™, including -how to make donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive -Foundation, how to help produce our new eBooks, and how to subscribe -to our email newsletter to hear about new eBooks.</span></p> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</div> -</body> -</html> |