Oliphant went to the head of the stairs and called; Abdul came bounding up, and in half a minute all five were packed into the car. It was a very tight fit, and Tom felt a tremor of apprehension as he pressed the lever. The vertical propellers answered instantly to his touch, but they beat the air ineffectually: the airship absolutely refused to rise.
“It won’t lift us!” he said, aghast. “We’re too heavy. Some one must be left behind.”
“I’ll stay,” said Oliphant at once. “Take the others to the hill and come back for me. I can manage for half an hour or so with my revolver.”
“Not a bit of it. I want your help with the machinery. What on earth can we do?”
“Can’t hear of it: he couldn’t defend himself long, and he’d be frightfully tortured if they got him. We can’t all get away at once, that’s certain; and, as we certainly can’t leave Sir Mark, we must leave the one we didn’t reckon on. Herr Schwab——”
“No. I refuse. I vill not stay. I am here.”
“I’m afraid you must. We shan’t be long. I’ll drop the others a mile or two away, and come back for you at once.”
“Never in ze vorld. I protest. I am Jarman sobjeck: is not ze life of Jarman sobjeck of more vorth zan ze life of a Mohr? Our Kaiser, who is in Berlin——”
“We can’t stop to argue it. They won’t kill you, at any rate; they know enough of your Kaiser perhaps to refrain from that: whereas they’d kill the Moor to a certainty. We can’t all lose our lives for you. In short, you must get out, and be quick about it, or, by Jove! we’ll have to throw you out.”