"Sorry, old man," remarked Fort, meanwhile pushing him, chair and all, toward the instrument-table. "But it's simply got to be done." Like a flash he let go the engineer and snatched a strap from the table—where he had of course previously placed it—and again threw himself upon his man before Reblong recovered from his surprise. In a second he was strapped tight in his chair; and not until then did he think to use his feet. Another strap put an end to his kicking.
"Surprised you, didn't I?" The athlete was enjoying himself hugely.
"Now—I must remind you that I'm taking a big chance in doing this.
If you make a noise, I shall treat you as any desperate man would
treat you!" There was a look in his eyes which clinched the matter.
Immediately he disappeared in the direction of the nearest cleaners. Reblong heard sounds of struggling from time to time; and evidently he implicitly believed that Fort would take vengeance upon him if he called for help; for he kept perfectly quiet. After perhaps twenty minutes the athlete returned, breathing heavily, but happy.
"The last one almost spilled my beans," said he—to use the expression Smith employed. "He happened to see me shutting another one into a closet, and jumped me from behind. I had to lay him out." Reblong must have looked alarmed. "Oh, no harm done. They'll all live to tell about it for the next twenty years."
Next he made certain adjustments in the engine-room mechanism. Then he went to the telephone, and located the man in charge of the depot. "Hello—Mr. Fort speaking; Reblong isn't able to come to the phone." He winked at the man in the chair. "There's something wrong with the fuel indicator. Shut off the supply for a while, will you?"
The gurgling soon stopped. Reblong watched in continued silence as
Fort disappeared again, this time taking the elevator to the bridge.
He was back again in a couple of minutes.
"Now, old man," addressing the engineer, "you can guess what I'm up to. I'm going to navigate this cruiser alone!"
"I've set everything for the ascent. You see what I've done; if I've made any mistakes, it means good-by for the Cobulus, for me, and—for you!
"I leave it to your good sense to tell me if there's anything I've overlooked." And he laid his hands on the starting-levers.
Reblong said nothing so far, such was his chagrin and wonder. But now he evidently considered seriously what Fort had said.