In rapid consultation with Oliphant he decided on another plan. Altering the course of the airship several points to the southward, and keeping a sharp lookout upon the pursuers, he found that they were still following him as a guide. No longer having to consider the powers of endurance of Abdul"s horses, he quickened the speed of the airship, and saw in a little while that this had had its effect, several of the hors.e.m.e.n beginning to straggle, though they all continued in the same direction.
Having thus taken the enemy some five or six miles out of their course, he suddenly swung round and made off at full speed towards the hill where he had left Abdul, of which he had been careful not to lose sight.
"They are a game lot," remarked Oliphant, as the hors.e.m.e.n again followed the track. They were soon left mere specks on the horizon, and at last dropped entirely out of sight. Approaching the hill from another side, some time elapsed before the airship was seen by Abdul from his concealment in the wood. Then he again mounted; his horses had profited by the short rest: and the fugitives, having gained several miles by Tom"s manuvre, were able to take matters comparatively easy until late in the afternoon.
CHAPTER XVI-ICARUS
Meanwhile Schwab had awoke to the facts of existence, and the manner in which he announced his awakening was characteristic.
"Himmel! how I am hungry!"
"Hullo, Mr. Schwab! Feel better?" said Tom, throwing a hasty glance at the German lying against the rail.
"Vorse! vorse! Tousand times vorse!"
Oliphant laughed at his hollow tones.
"It is nozink for to laugh," returned Schwab with a flicker of animation. "I am vizout food, I know not how many hours. It is not viz me custom to go so long vizout food; it give me rude pain-zere!"
He laid his hand on the lowest b.u.t.ton of his waistcoat.
"No longer am I as I vas. Vunce I swell, not too moch, but all ober; now, I fade, I shrink, I have to get ze tailor to take me in."
"Awful, for a business man," said Oliphant-"to be taken in, you know."
"So! But it muss be done. Ach! I am hungry as a-as a-as a--"
"Hunter!" suggested Oliphant.
"No; hungry as a rhinoceros. I could eat-I could eat-I could eat a--"
"Whale!"
"No; I could eat a steak, underdone, from ze grill, viz chip bodadoes, gabbage viz vinegar, and Voosder sauce, viz a long gla.s.s-ach! two long gla.s.ses, of lager from Munchen. Ach! ze zought of it make my mous cry."
"For goodness" sake, Oliphant, give him some grub and shut his mouth,"
cried Tom.
"Shut my mous? How zen can I eat? For ze sake of anyzink give me somezink to eat; zen my mous vill shut and open of itself; vun needs not to zink ven one eats."
Bubbling with amus.e.m.e.nt, Oliphant handed the German some biscuits from the stock they had brought with them. But his mirth evaporated when he caught sight of Tom"s face. He had wondered a little at the tetchy tone in which Tom had last addressed him, and from his anxious expression he could not but guess that something was seriously wrong.
"What"s the matter, Dorrell?"
"The engines-don"t you smell "em?"
"I do," replied Oliphant, sniffing. "What"s it mean?"
"It means that the turbine casing is becoming overheated. I altered the inlet valve so as to let more of the explosive mixture into the turbine-and this is the result."
"What can we do?"
"Simply reduce speed and hope that we can weather through."
"Any idea how much farther we have to go?"
"About fifty miles, I should think. We must have done forty at least. I shut off one of the engines just now, but the second one can"t keep us afloat. I wish Schwab would fade and shrink into nothing."
Schwab had heard nothing of this. He was otherwise occupied. But noting now the anxious looks of his two companions he said, with his mouth full-"Do I eat too many?"
Tom was too much concerned to reply, but Oliphant laughed again.
"We can"t go on," said Tom. "I shall have to drop her somewhere and see if I can put matters right. We were five or six miles ahead of the Moors when I caught sight of them last, and we"ve a few minutes" grace at any rate. They won"t know exactly where we are."
Choosing a secluded spot, he descended and brought the airship to rest.
Abdul had halted; Tom explained to him the cause of his descent, and set him to keep watch on the enemy while he examined the machinery. The Moor looked thoroughly done up, and it struck Oliphant that he was even more in need of food than Schwab, so he gave him the remainder of the stock of biscuits-not a large quant.i.ty now. As for Schwab, he had fallen asleep.
It took Tom but a few minutes to adjust the valve, but he knew that the result of this adjustment must be a serious reduction of speed. He was greatly perturbed. It was clearly impossible for Abdul to ride much farther: the horses were in a terrible state of exhaustion. They were cropping the scanty herbage at the side of the track-poor refreshment after the fatigue they had undergone.
"The Moors" horses must be equally played out, that"s one comfort," said Tom;-"at least, those that have pursued us all the way, if any have.
That"s doubtful: the Moors have probably drawn on every village they have come through."
"I say, did you hear that?" asked Oliphant.
It was a shout-apparently from a spur of forest some distance to the right of the line which they had expected the enemy to take.
"They"re spreading out! Who"d have thought they"d have kept it up so long?"
"Well, you see, they know that one of us is on horseback: that means that the machine won"t carry us all; and in the nature of things they can overtake a rider."
"I can see nothing for it but that Abdul must push on alone," said Tom.
"We can manage to get along slowly, and as long as the machine can keep us afloat at all they can"t catch us. But if they catch sight of Abdul he"s bound to be run down. Abdul, you must go on by yourself. Get to the coast if you can, and swim out to the yacht-can you swim?"
"Yes, master."
"Swim to the yacht, then, and tell Mr. Greatorex what has happened.
He"ll do all he can to help us if we can only get near enough."
Abdul showed some reluctance to leave the others in difficulties, but he obeyed. He mounted the less exhausted of the horses and set off.
"He"ll have a chance," remarked Tom, as he disappeared. "When the Moors see us in the air again they will suppose that Abdul is keeping pace with us as before."
"It"s nearly six o"clock; it"ll be dark soon."
"Yes, that gives him another chance-if they don"t sight him."