Just then Mina Everett uttered a shrill cry of alarm. “Look! Look!” she cried. “It’s afire! We’ll burn up in here! Oh, oh, Wynnie! what shall we do?”
The others turned, aghast There was blue smoke spurting out around the shaft above their heads.
CHAPTER XXII
THE PRISONERS OF THE TOWER
“Fire!” cried Percy Havel. “Oh! what shall we do?”
“Well, your yelling about it won’t put it out,” snapped Frank.
But Dave Shepard had sprung up the ladder and immediately announced the trouble.
“The axle is getting overheated. See that can of oil yonder, Ferd? Come out of your trance and do something useful, boy! Quick! hand me the can.”
But it was Wyn who got it to him. Dave quickly refilled the oil cups and squirted some of the lubricant into the cracks about the shaft. The smoke immediately drifted away.
“The rest of you go up where it’s cooler,” he commanded. “I will remain here and play engineer. And for goodness’ sake, pray for the wind to die down!”