King of the Air; Or, To Morocco on an Aeroplane

by Herbert Strang

Tom rapidly explained to Abdul the plan he had formed. Then, entering the car in which Schwab and Oliphant already were, he set the ascensional screws in motion. The vessel slowly rose. Meanwhile Abdul had looped about his body the rope by which Schwab had been hauled up, the upper end of which had again been securely attached to the car. When the airship had risen a few feet from the hill-top, Tom set the horizontal engines at full speed, and the vessel sailed beyond the plateau, Abdul dangling from it at the end of the rope, as he had done once before when rescued from the shark. He showed no fear; in the loop he was perfectly safe, for even if the vessel sank with his weight, it would be so slowly that he would run no risk of being brought too violently into contact with the ground.

As Tom had expected, the vessel did not sink. But, the horizontal screws being partly engaged in counteracting the force of gravity, the speed of the airship was reduced to only five or six miles an hour, and at that rate it was evident that the fuel would not hold out until they reached the coast. A second breakdown must be averted at all costs; it was unlikely that they would be able to escape the clutches of predatory Moors a second time. No doubt the story of what had happened before had spread for many miles through the country, and short shrift would be given to the aeronauts if again they were brought to earth.

There was now only a minute or two to spare before the sheikh would arrive. Whatever could be done must be done at once. Glancing down, Tom saw below him the horses belonging to the men who had just been tumbled from the plateau. The men themselves were lying at the foot of the hill, not dead, as Tom was glad to see—the rugged declivity had broken their fall—but evidently completely disabled. Without hesitation Tom reduced the speed of the engines and descended, shouting to Abdul, who at the end of the rope would of course reach the ground first, to secure two of the best horses, and follow as fast as he could in the track of the airship.

Owing to the delay that had occurred, Abdul had only just leapt into the saddle when the horsemen came into sight scarcely half a mile away. The sheikh was far ahead of his men, and the pace even of his splendid Arab showed that there was little fear of Abdul being overtaken. The young Moor set off at a gallop, a second horse at his side. There was a shout behind him; the sheikh called upon his followers to spur their flagging steeds: clearly he intended gamely to continue the pursuit.

But the fugitives were now well away. Tom accommodated the speed of the airship to the pace of the horses below, keeping at a height of no more than a hundred feet from the ground so as to be able to drop down and stand by Abdul in case of need. For a few minutes it seemed as though the lad was to be close pressed, in spite of the hard galloping the horses of the pursuers had already done. But gradually they dropped farther and farther behind; Abdul’s horses were fresh; he himself was a light weight; and Tom began to breathe more freely.

Another danger, however, occurred to him. The country was at present wild and desolate, with no signs of habitation. But as he neared the coast, he would undoubtedly pass scattered villages and towns, and it was possible that Abdul might be checked at one of these. He therefore felt it desirable to rise to a greater height, so that he might obtain a more extensive outlook over the country and indicate to Abdul a course which would prevent him from running into danger.

He soon saw that his precaution was justified. The pursuers were still sticking doggedly to the trail, and Tom noticed that from time to time they were joined by fresh horsemen from the hamlets through which they passed. He could not distinguish figures in the distance, but he had no doubt that the sheikh had already obtained a fresh horse, and was among a group which had far outstripped the rest of the troop and was gradually diminishing the distance between them and their quarry. Abdul was riding gallantly on, changing from horse to horse with admirable dexterity; but it was clear that the pursuers, with many opportunities of obtaining remounts, must in course of time run him down. The airship would always indicate the direction in which they should ride.

Again Tom had to devise a means of overcoming a new difficulty. The chase had now lasted some hours, and the matter was becoming urgent. By good luck, the sight of a high conical hill, well wooded, somewhat to the right of the course they had been following, suggested a plan. Lowering the airship to within easy speaking distance of the Moor—a manœuvre which caused some uneasiness to his horses, tired as they were—Tom directed him to make for this hill, and remain in hiding among the trees until rejoined. At the moment he thought of making all speed to the yacht, dropping Schwab, replenishing his can of fuel, and returning for Abdul. But a little consideration caused him to change his mind. It might prove a very difficult matter to find the hill again when returning. It must be, he guessed, at least sixty miles from the sea, and he could not remember the landmarks exactly enough to be able to retrace his course.

In rapid consultation with Oliphant he decided on another plan. Altering the course of the airship several points to the southward, and keeping a sharp lookout upon the pursuers, he found that they were still following him as a guide. No longer having to consider the powers of endurance of Abdul’s horses, he quickened the speed of the airship, and saw in a little while that this had had its effect, several of the horsemen beginning to straggle, though they all continued in the same direction. Having thus taken the enemy some five or six miles out of their course, he suddenly swung round and made off at full speed towards the hill where he had left Abdul, of which he had been careful not to lose sight.

“They are a game lot,” remarked Oliphant, as the horsemen again followed the track. They were soon left mere specks on the horizon, and at last dropped entirely out of sight. Approaching the hill from another side, some time elapsed before the airship was seen by Abdul from his concealment in the wood. Then he again mounted; his horses had profited by the short rest: and the fugitives, having gained several miles by Tom’s manœuvre, were able to take matters comparatively easy until late in the afternoon.