“That will be the best idea,” said Frank. “This is going to be a hummer. Wow! Look at that!”
A flash of lightning, that seemed as if the whole curtain of clouds had been split from top to bottom, had caused his exclamation. So brilliant was the glare that it caused them all to blink involuntarily.
“Put on full speed, Frank!” shouted Dr. Perkins above the deafening peal of thunder that followed.
Frank needed no second bidding. He opened both gasolene and spark levers to their full capacity. Dr. Perkins had already headed the Sea Eagle for the distant low-lying shore. This caused the craft to plunge almost as much as if she were “bucking” into a heavy sea. For the wind was off shore, and the thunder storm, as such storms frequently do, was coming up against it.
Suddenly, in the midst of the fight with the wind, Frank noticed an ominous sound from the motor. It gave a sort of spluttering, coughing exhaust and slowed down perceptibly.
“What’s wrong now?” he exclaimed anxiously. “Gracious, if the motor should go out of business now!”
He did not say this aloud, but bent over the laboring machine to try and ascertain what was the matter with it.
“More speed!” cried Dr. Perkins from the forward part of the air ship; “we can’t fight this wind at this pace.”
“There’s something the matter with the motor,” shouted Frank above the now almost continuous rolling of the thunder. “I can’t make out what——”
A sudden loud report, like a pistol shot, came from the engine—a back-fire, as it is called—and the next instant the motor stopped dead.