The remainder of that day was one void of excitement. They traveled in the air over the vast extent of China, making only one descent to get some oil, as a leak developed in one of the reservoirs, allowing much of the precious fluid to drip away. They had a little trouble with the Chinese authorities in the city where they landed. But this was not due to any scheming on the part of Kilborn. It was just a local “squeeze” custom, and Tom had to pay out money for graft. But he said he did not mind as long as he was ahead of the Red Arrow, and he felt sure that he was.
It was the middle of the next day, when they were about to leave the region above land, once more to sail over water, that Tom observed the barometer falling.
“Does it mean anything?” asked Ned, as he saw the serious look on his chum’s face.
“A storm, I’m afraid,” was the answer. “And a storm here, in the region of the Japan Sea, is anything but pleasant.”
“Bad?” asked Ned.
“The very worst,” was Tom’s reply. “But we may be able to get above it.”
He increased the speed of the motors and headed the Air Monarch in a different direction. But the glass continued to fall. The sky soon became overcast and there was a dead calm, as they could tell by looking down on the surface of the sea, which was as flat as a mill pond.
But not for long.
Suddenly there was a puff of air that swerved the craft, powerful as she was, to one side. Then came a howl as from some mighty siren whistle. Tom, who had given Peltok charge of the steering wheel, sprang to aid him as the spokes were almost torn from his hands. At the same time the young inventor cried:
“Typhoon! Typhoon! It’s going to hit us hard!”