Flying Legion Read online

  CHAPTER VIII

  THE EAGLE OF THE SKY

  He slid open another door. The three men passed through the captain'scabin and pilot-house. This place measured twelve feet on its longeraxis and nine on its shorter, being of approximately diamond shapewith one point forward in the very nose of the machine, one ending ina door that gave access to the main, longitudinal corridor, and theright and left points joining the walls of the backward-sloping prow.It contained two sofa-lockers with gas-inflated, leather cushions, achart-rack, pilot's seat, controls, and instrument-board.

  The whole front was a magnificent stretch of double plate-glass, withwarm air between the sheets to keep snow, frost, or dew from obscuringthe vision. Bright light flooded it.

  Though one window had been slid partly open--the window on the sill ofwhich the sleeping aviator had lain--a scent of cigarette-smoke stillpermeated the place. The Master sniffed with disgust. Then suddenly,to the great astonishment of Bohannan, he commanded:

  "Bring me that champagne, in the saloon. All of it!"

  The major opened wide eyes, but unquestioningly obeyed. Could it bepossible the Master, in this moment of exultation, was about to breakhis lifelong rule and drink a toast, in sparkling bubbles, to successthus far achieved, to the stupendous voyage now about to begin?

  Wondering, Bohannan departed. The Master gestured for Captain Alden toseat himself on one of the lockers. Alden kept complete silence ashe sat down, crossed one leg over the other and began to study thecomplex apparatus before him. Most of it was familiar; but some newfactors needed inspection.

  The Master peered curiously at him. Surely, this man was odd, unusual.Most aviators, thus confronted by strange problems, would have grownloquacious, tried to exhibit their knowledge, asked questions, mademuch talk. But Alden held his tongue.

  A look of appreciation, of liking, came upon the Master's face. It wasjust the suspicion of a look, for in all this strange man's life nogreat show of emotion ever had been permitted to mirror itself uponhis countenance. But still, the look was there. He half opened hislips, as if to speak, then closed them again, and--like Alden--fell tostudying the control apparatus.

  All was beautifully arranged, all nicely calculated for instantuse. Not here, as in small machines, could the pilot handle his ownengines, tilt his planes, or manipulate his rudders by hand. Thatwould have been as absurd to think of, as for the steersman of anocean liner to work without the intervention of steam steering-gear.

  No, these controls actuated various motors that, using current fromthe dynamos, produced the desired action with smooth and certainpromptness. A turn of the wrist, perhaps no more than the touch ofa finger, and the whole vast creation would respond as easily as achild's toy can be manipulated by a strong man's hand.

  Hooded dials, brightly lighted push-buttons, a telephone headpiece andreceiver combined, and switches all lay in easy reach. Here was thetachometer, that would give to a fraction the revolutions of eachscrew per minute; here the altimeter, to indicate height; here theair-speed indicator, the compass with reflector, the inclinometer, themotometers--to show the heat in each engine--and there, the switch tothrow on the gigantic searchlight, with the little electric wheel tocontrol its direction, as accurately as you would point a wand.

  Throttle and spark, of course, there were none. All engine control wasby telephone, with the engine-room which lay a little aft of midships.But the controls of the vacuum apparatus were within easy reach, sothat at will the pilot could exhaust the floats, or fill them.

  Here were the starting, stopping, and speed controls of thehelicopters, which were under direct electrical motivation by thepilot. Here also were the magnetic-anchor release and the air-skidpump control; here were telephonic connections with the wireless-roomand with the fore-and-aft observation pits, where observers werealready lying on their cushions upon the heavy, metal-reinforced glassfloor-plates.

  "This is really very complete," approved the Master. Not Alden, buthe, had been first to speak. The Master spoke half against his ownwish, but a resistless impulse to make some comment, in this moment oftriumph, possessed him.

  "Only as expected, sir," replied Alden. The Master bit his lip asecond, and said no more.

  Bohannan's return with several champagne bottles in his arms, put anend to any possible developments the terse conversation might havehad.

  "Well, sir," said the major, "here it all is. And I've got glassesin my pocket--and a corkscrew, sir. It never does to forget thecorkscrew! We'll drink to happy days, eh, sir?"

  Already the Celt's mouth was watering for draughts of the preciousliquid. Joy pervaded him that, for once at least, the iron rule of theMaster was to be broken, and that the journey was to begin with properlibations. The Master's curt syllables, however, instantly dispelledany illusions he might have entertained on that score.

  "Drop them all out that open window, there," commanded the Master.

  "What, sir? Good Pommery? Veuve?"

  "No argument, Bohannan! Out they go!"

  Dismayed, the Celt did the other's bidding, while Alden smiled grimly.Far below, glass crashed and jangled.

  "What's the idea?" demanded the major ruefully.

  "You know very well, Major, my ruling on alcohol. It doesn't mix withany motive power on this trip. Moreover, it's customary to christenevery launching with champagne. We've done it!"

  "Well, that's not so bad an idea, at that," Bohannan admitted,scratching his fiery head. "What name have you given this bus?"

  "_Nissr Arrib ela Sema._"

  "Come again, sir?"

  "Eagle of the Sky, in Arabic. I suppose we'll have to cut that down to_Nissr_, for everyday use. But at any rate, our craft is christened.Well, now--"

  He settled himself in the pilot's seat, reached forward and drewtoward him a shining metal shaft. Four stout spokes unfolded; and fromthese, quadrants of a rim that easily snapped together. The Masterlaid one hand easily on the rim of the big steering-wheel, flung hiscap upon a locker, pulled down the telephone headpiece and snapped iton.

  He touched a button. The light died in the pilot-house, leaving onlythe hooded glows of the dials, switches, and small levers. Nightseemed suddenly to close in about the vast machine. Till now ithad been forgotten, ignored. But as darkness fingered at the panes,something of the vastness of sky and air made itself realized;something of the illimitable scope of this adventuring.

  Bohannan slid the window shut and settled himself beside CaptainAlden. He glanced at his wrist-watch, and a thrill of nervousexultation stabbed him.

  "Only two minutes and six seconds more!" he murmured, gnawing at hismustache and blinking with excitement. Alden remained calm, impassiveas the Master himself, who now, pressing another button, sent a beamof wonderful, white light lancing through the darkness.

  Track, buildings, trees all leaped into vivid relief as he tested thesearchlight control. He shot the beam up, up, till it lost itself,vaguely, in mist and cloud; then flung it even across the river, whereit picked out buildings with startling detail.

  He turned it, finally, square down the launching-way, through theyawning gates where the track abruptly ended at the brow of thePalisades--the empty chasm where, if all went right and no mistakehad been made in build, engine-power, or control, the initial leap of_Nissr Arrib ela Sema_ was to be made.

  Came a moment's wait. Faintly the pulsing of the engines trembledthe fabric of _Nissr_. Finely balanced as they were, they stillcommunicated some slight vibration to the ship. The Master snicked theswitch of the magnetic-anchor release; and now the last bond that held_Nissr_ to her cradle was broken. As soon as the air-skid currentsshould be set going, she would be ready for her flight.

  This moment was not long in coming. Another turn of a switch, and allat once, far below, a faint, continuous hissing made itself audible.Compressed air, forced through thousands of holes at the bottom of thefloats, was interposing a gaseous cushion between those floats and thetrack, just as it could do between them and the earth wherever
_Nissr_should alight.

  Suspended thus on a thin layer of air, perhaps no more than asixteenth of an inch thick but infinitely less friction-producing thanthe finest ball-bearing wheels and quite incapable of being broken,the ship now waited only the application of the power in her vastpropellers.

  "Let in numbers two and four," commanded the Master, suddenly, intothe engine-room telephone. "In five seconds after we start, hook upone and three; and five later, the other two."

  "Aye, aye, sir," came back the voice of Auchincloss, chief engineer."Ready, sir!"

  Almost at once, the vibration of the engines altered, grew moremarked, seemed to be taking hold of something with strong but easyeffort. Another trembling made itself felt, as two of the giantscrews, connected by reducing-gears with the engine-shafting--allthree engines being geared to one shaft, but any one being capable ofseparate running--began to revolve.

  From astern, a dull, droning hum mounted, rose, grew rapidly in volumeand power. And, as two more screws began to whirl, the Eagle of theSky shook herself slightly. She awoke from slumber. Steadily, smoothlyon her air-cushions she began to move forward down the long, slopingtrackway to the brink of the cliff.

  "Lord above!" breathed Bohannan, chewing at his nails. "We're off!"

  Neither the Master nor Captain Alden moved, spoke, manifested anyexcitement whatever. Both might have been graven images of coolness.The Celt, however, got up and leaned at the window-jamb, unable tokeep still. He turned suddenly to Alden.

  "Come, man!" he exclaimed, half angrily. "Got no heart in you, eh? Nointerest? Come along out of that, now, and see what's what!"

  He laid hold on the captain, and drew him to the window as the airshipaccelerated her plunge along the rails. The hum of the propellershad now risen to a kind of throaty roar; the craft was shaking withstrange quivers that no doubt would cease if she but once could launchherself into the air. Under her, in and in, the shining metal railscame running swiftly and more swiftly still, gleaming silver-likeunder the vivid beam of the searchlight.

  Wind began to rise up against the glass of the pilot-house; the windof _Nissr's_ own making.

  Cool as if in his own easy-chair in the observatory, the Master satthere, hand on wheel. Then all at once he reached for the rising-planecontrol, drew it over, and into the telephone spoke sharply:

  "Full speed ahead, now! Give her all she's got!"

  A shout, was it? Many shouts, cries, execrations! But where? Overthe roar of the propellers, confused sounds won to the men in thepilot-house. And all at once, by the dim aura of diffused lightreflected from the huge beam, the major saw dim figures running, offthere to the left, among the buildings of the stockade.

  "For the Lord's sake!" he cried, amazed, with drooping jaw."Men--after us! Look there--_look_!"

  The Master remained utterly impassive, eyes keen on the in-rushingtrack, now close to its abrupt ending over the vacancy of space.Captain Alden's pupils narrowed, through the mask-holes, but he saidnothing. Bohannan gripped the captain's shoulder painfully, thenreached for the pistol in his own holster.

  "They're on to us!" he vociferated. "Somebody's got wise--they're--"

  Little red spurts of fire began to jet, among the buildings; thecrackling of shots started popping, like corn-kernels exploding. Darkfigures were racing for the Palisade gate--the gate where, if anyslightest thing went wrong with track or giant plane, the whole vastfabric might crash down, a tangled mass of wreckage.

  Then it was, that for the first time in all his knowledge of theMaster, Bohannan heard the strange man laugh.

  Joyously he laughed, and with keen pleasure. His eyes were blazing, ashe thrust the rising-plane lever sharply up.

  More shouts volleyed. From somewhere back there in the body of theship, a cry of pain resounded.

  Bohannan flung the window-pane to one side, and blazed away like madat the attackers.

  A shatter of broken glass burst into the pilot-house. Alden, catchinghis breath, quivered. He uttered no outcry, but his right hand wentacross and clutched his wounded left arm.

  "Got you?" cried the major, still pumping lead. He paused, jerkedAlden's automatic from its holster and thrust it into the captain'shand, now red.

  Alden, a bit pale but quite impassive, opened fire through the jaggedhole in the double pane. Accurately the captain fired at dark figures.One fell. Another staggered; but as the machine swept on, they lostsight of it.

  Men rose up before the rushing airship. One of the great gates beganto swing shut, far at the end of the track. The Master laughed again,with the wind whipping at his hair. "Full speed ahead!" he shoutedinto the telephone.

  The _Nissr_ leaped into a swifter course. Then all at once she skiddedclear of the track, slanted upward, breasted the air. Her searchlightblazed. All along her flanks, fire-jets spangled the night. Criesechoed from her, from the great stockade.

  The Master gave her all the lift the farthest wrench of the leverswould thrust on her. The gate was almost shut now--would she clear it?

  Below, track, earth, everything was spinning in and in. Ahead, above,yawned vastnesses. The Master could no longer see the gate. A secondof taut thrill--

  _Crash_!

  The _Nissr_ quivered, staggered, yawed away. The forward starboardfloat had struck. A faint yell rose as someone, hurled backward by theshattered _debris_ of the gate, plunged down the cliff.

  For half a second, the giant plane reeled over the abyss. Her rush andfury for that half-second threatened to plunge her, a mangled, flamingwreck, hundreds of feet down on the black, waiting rocks below thePalisades.

  But engine-power and broad wings, skill of the hand at the levers, andthe good fortune that watches over bold men, buoyed her again.

  Suddenly she lifted. Up at a dizzy angle she sped.

  A thing of life, quivering, sentient, unleashed, the gigantic Eagleof the Sky--now in heroic flight toward the greatest venturing everconceived by the brain of man--steadied herself, lifted on the wingsof darkness, and, freed from her last bonds, leaped quivering andtriumphant into the night.