But he mastered his nervousness quickly, and, grasping the steering-wheel in a firm grip, he spoke:
“You can start up now,” he said.
Frank turned the starting handle, admitting a charge of gas to the cylinders. Then he pressed a button and instantly the motor responded with a roar and a series of explosions, like those of a battery of gatling guns going into action. Having started it he admitted gasolene, and adjusted the carburetor till the cylinders were all working steadily.
Close to Dr. Perkins’ hand was a lever. This, when moved, “threw in” the clutch connecting the motor with the driving mechanism. Directly Frank had finished tuning up the motor Dr. Perkins’ hand reached for the lever. He jerked it nervously back. There was a whirr and a buzz, as the chains whirled the twin propellers round, and at the same instant the Sea Eagle darted forward like an arrow from a bow.
Faster and faster she went, getting up speed with seemingly marvelous rapidity. But instead of driving deeper into the water, under the pressure of the aërial propellers which rushed her forward through the atmosphere, the faster the Sea Eagle was driven the more lightly did the craft skim the surface of the water, till at top speed—2,000 revolutions a minute—her bottom barely touched the water. This was owing to the peculiar construction of the hull, which was designed so as to “plane” the water in exactly the manner it did.
Cheer after cheer broke from the lads on shore as they saw the swift craft dart off, slicing the tops of the small waves like a cream skimmer. Dr. Perkins circumnavigated the island three times before he gave the signal to Frank to slow down. Then, releasing the clutch, the inventor allowed the Sea Eagle to come to rest, with its bow almost touching the beach.
“Now we will have a weight test,” he announced; “come on, boys.”
The lads ashore surely needed no second invitation. Without bothering to remove shoes or stockings they waded into the water and out to the Sea Eagle’s side. In less time than it takes to tell it they were swarming over the side of the cockpit and struggling for positions near the engine. But Dr. Perkins made them arrange themselves so that their weight would be evenly distributed. Ben Stubbs and Harry sat in the extreme stern, while Pudge and Billy occupied opposite seats amidships.
This done, off darted the Sea Eagle once more, and speedily set at rest all doubts as to her capability to “plane,” or skim the water, under an added load.
“It’s like riding on a floating island over a sea of raspberry ice cream soda,” declared Billy, when he was asked later to describe his sensations.