“Heave it out when you’re ready!”
As they flew directly over the ship they felt a great air bump as they crossed the smoke-stacks and were struck by the heated column of air. As they passed the bow of the boat Jack leaned far out and threw the bottle downward.
Kiwi felt the plane lurch as Dad turned it quickly to watch the bottle’s descent. It went hurtling down, and for a second it seemed as though it would strike the bridge. Then the wind caught it, it struck one of the lifeboats and bounded off into the water. It was disheartening, but they must try again.
Jack wrote a repetition of the message, and then was at a loss to know what he could use to weight it with. There was just one more bottle of water, and it was too precious to use for this purpose. Both Jack and the Skipper thought fast. Then the Skipper said, “Here,” and reaching into his inside pocket beneath his flying suit, he pulled out a cigarette case. It was a silver case, heavily engraved, that the men of his squadron had presented to him at Christmas, 1918, after the war had ended.
Jack made a sign that it was a shame to risk it, but the Skipper shrugged his shoulders, and Jack hastily added to the message, “Return this case to Captain McBride later.” He slipped the message inside the case and clicked it shut.
The Skipper jockeyed into position for another try. This time he came down even lower and kept to the leeward side of the ship. Rushing along nearly on a level with the top decks, they had passed the ship before Jack had time to hurl his message.
Again the Skipper swung the plane around, and this time as he drew alongside Jack leaned out and threw the case with all his might. It went spinning toward the ship, sailed over the rail, struck a hatchway, and was pounced upon by one of the stokers on the forward deck.
The crowd on board waved frantically to the plane above. The “Dauntless” swung in a wide circle and came back over the ship for the last time. A puff of steam from the whistle and a flashing light on the bridge showed that those on board had read the plane’s message were sending them the ship’s position and a “good-bye.”
Straightening out on their course, after Jack had read the ship’s answer, they flew on at top speed and soon left the ship far behind.
Kiwi scrambled back to his little window, and with his face pressed against the pane saw the liner melt into the haze. A great feeling of loneliness came over him as he saw it disappear from view. The fleeting glimpse he had had of other human beings had served to bring home to him their utter detachment from the world. He commenced to realize how long they had been on their way, and thinking back over their trials and adventures he suddenly felt very weary. He longed for sleep, but Dad called out: