“Not much too soon, either!” muttered Peltok, who stood with the two machinists in the motor room where another gage showed them that the fight was being won.
“We’re all right now,” said Tom with an air of relief as he guided his craft on a long slant up through the wind, the rain, the lightning and thunder. “We’re all right now.”
The engines were still rotating furiously under the power of the new gas, and Tom kept them at this speed until he was well up above the surface of the sea. Then, turning the craft about, to take advantage of the wind, instead of heading into it, he ordered the ordinary motor fuel gasoline turned on and slowed down his ship.
Slowed down, yes, but the Air Monarch was still moving along at a terrific speed. And Tom knew that speed was necessary, for he had lost considerable time. He had counted on some delays, but the fewer of these there were the better. And Tom preferred to have them come, if they must, when he was back again on United States soil. For if the Air Monarch failed him then, he could use his Airline Express.
Up, up and up soared the powerful craft, boring her way through the storm. Now she was where she properly belonged, for though Tom’s craft could travel on land or water she was designed, primarily, for the air.
“Going above the storm, Tom?” asked Ned when things were more nearly normal aboard.
“Going to try,” was the answer. “But there’s a big area of disturbance, I think.”
So it proved. For it took an hour of hard work before Tom could force his machine to climb high enough to be above the howling wind and rattling rain. But then the Air Monarch found herself in a calm atmosphere, above the clouds with the sun shining, and in that peaceful region, far away from the hurricane and the lashing sea, she sailed along on her journey.
“Well, she came out of that pretty well,” remarked the young inventor as he turned the wheel over to Peltok while he went with Ned to work out their position. Ned was good at figures, and intricate calculations were necessary to determine how many miles had been traveled in the machine.
“She done noble, as Eradicate would say,” agreed Ned. “But it’s getting on toward dark, Tom,” he observed, as he noted the position of the sun.