Beadle's Half Dime Library No. 328 — page 14: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

14 ee eee eH ee The Sky Detectives. “Traveler, and a gleam of hope lit up his face as he caught sight of the big ballcon. He bounded toward it, and he ran fleetly, After him came Ben Bradley and Harry Brown, both pale with excitement. With immense bounds Dick Crowell leaped toward the car. Dennis saw him coming, and drawing a knife from his hunting-shirt, stood in readiness to meet the desperate-looking man. ut Crowell, who had drawn a revolver, was ‘too quick for the brave Irishman. He took a hasty aim, firing as he ran, and Dennis Malone uttered a cry, reeled, and fell heavily to the ground. Plucky Annie Bradley, seeing Malone fall drew her small but serviceable revolver, an would have rendered a good account of herself had not her foot slipped in the baste of her movement, throwing her to the floor of the car and dislodging the P stol from her grasp. Lightened by cn one’s heavy form falling to the ground, the Sky Traveler would have shot up into the air at once had it not been for the fact that Crowell grasped the car on one side just as Harley Willis, who, seeing that his air- ship was menaced, bad fleetly bounded after = villain, clutched the basket on the opposite side. Both Crowell and Harley bounded into the ear just as the balloon began to rise. In falling Annie Bradley bad touched with some weight against the crank controlling the heating ap- paratus, and the heated gas speedily asserted its ascensional qualities. The battle, commenced late in the day, had been prolouged until nearly seven o’clock, and the shades of night were beginning to fall when the balloon ascended with its three occupants. Actuated by a common ‘impulse, Harley and Crowell leaped toward one another, both armed with knives. As frequently bappens in knife wombats, both combatants made a quick clutch for the right wrist, and, as luck would have it os both succeeded in obtaining the desire old. Then, in the gathering darkness, and while the balloon was sailing along to unknown ye the mortal foes struggled for the mas- ry. tt was a full-grown man against a boy of eighteen, but the youngster possessed muscles and sinews of steel, and the battle was an even one, In the gathering darkness they fought on, twisting here and thereover the floor of the car, while the Sky Traveler continued on its way. In twisting hither and thither the strugglin opponents suddenly collided with the electrica apparatus that served to expand or contract the The connecting tubes were broken and in an instant a flash issued from the bottom of the silken bag. “ Fire! It was Annie who uttered the cry. The lower part of the immense silken globe ‘was in flames. This was a common enemy, a terrible foe to all three, and asif by mutual consent Harley Willis and Dick Crowell let go their hold upon one another and turned to fight the fast-increasing flames. But there was little that they could do, now that the fire was started. The hot tongues of fame came down toward them with scorching effect, and Harley realized that their situation was one of extreme sanyo He did not know how bigh up in the air they were, nor what sort of landing-place stretched below. There was one means of obtaining in- formation, and Harley adopted it. “The balloon is losing gas rapidly and de- scending,” be muttered, ‘‘The great danger is . that we sball be scorched by the fire long before we touch the earth. I must see what is below Us, He caught up a torch, lit it, and with a gentle mestchbd Wi until, {8 Ooupgesred very seidenly wa until i p very suddenly from his sight, and then turned to the girl, sé Annie,’ 4“ Yes.” “Will 7 hte trust your fate to me?” “Iw Do as you think best. I am sure if we stay much longer in this car.” | ‘* Then come,” | He a his arms, and with perfect confi- dence Annie crept within his strong embrace. Crowell, as though paralyzed with fear, had been yay wa g the flames, but when he saw Harley make a movement as though to leave the car, he bounded upon him with a savage exclamation. He was too late, how- ever, to arrest the progress of the young aero- naut, With Annie Bradley clasped firmly in his arms, Harley Willis leaped from the balloon, Swiftly they descended through the air, and after plunging through perhaps sixty feet of thin air, they broke through the surface of a cool body of water, and darted quite a number of feet beneath the surface. They came up to- gether, clasped in a close embrace, and like the expert swimmer that be was, Harley shook the water from his head and face and struck out with his right hand, keeping bis left arm clasped about the slim waist of his adored companion. ‘** Let me go,” said Annie. ‘Why, we're in the water,” returned Har- ley. ‘‘T know that,” **’'You’ll drown,” ‘‘AsIam able to swim a mile or two with ease,” exclaimed Annie, ‘‘I don’t think I’m in much danger of drowning.” Thereupon Harley Willis let go of her, and she began swimming by his side with the Jong, graceful strokes of a practiced swimmer, ‘¢ Annie,” said Harley, ‘‘ we are in a body of water, some miles, I don’t .know really how many, from the valley where the battle took place. Can you remember any body of water within a few miles of Golden Gulch?” " ig yes,” returned Annie. ‘‘ We are in Dead Man’s Lake. That’s the only body of water in this vicinity.” ‘¢ And how big is it?” “Well, it’s a good many miles long, and from shore to shore at some points is fifteen to twenty miles,” ‘*Then,” rejoined Harley, ‘‘ there is really no telling what sort of a swim we are in for, my dear girl. Look at the balloon.” They gazed up in admiration at the huge air- ship, now a mass of flames that was fast receding in the distance, yet still showing brightly in the darkness of night. ‘*Tell me, Harley,” spoke up Annie as she swam by his side, ** how you knew that water was below us when you took that leap with me in your arms,” ‘**The torch told me,” was the answer, ‘*‘ Had it fallen upon earth, it would have been broken and scattered in sparks, but its sudden disap- arance told me that it had been extinguished y water.” ‘‘ Suppose it bad been a mere pool that the torch fell into, perbaps a foot or two of water, yet sufficient to suddenly put out the flame?’ ‘‘ Had that been the case,” laughingly said Harley in answer, ‘‘I don’t think you would be putting questions to me or anybody else, Annie.” ‘‘ We would have died together, Harley,” she exclaimed. ‘‘True, Now let usswim carefully, without exhausting ourselves, and try our best to live together,” rcturned Willis. hey had not taken more than half a dozen strokes ere a familiar sound came to their ears, “Hist!” warningly ejaculated Harley. They both stop swimming, and then lis- tened intently for a repetition of the sounds that had struck upon their ears. ain they came, the sounds made by oars working in rowlocks, and not very far distant, ‘‘ Hail them!” suggested Annie. Harley lifted up his voice in a stentorian shout that could have been heard half a mile over the water: ‘* Hello!” . There was no answer, but the noise made by the oars at once ceased. Harley took in a deep breath, and again sent forth a loud hail: ‘* Hello-o-o!” 5 No answer, and not a sound came to their ears. Annie, with the quick wits belonging to nee sex, guessed at the reason of this unnatural ence. éé ” ; a oer: she whispered, ‘That must be one of the outlaws.” ‘* And he’s afraid to answer, because of any chance of recapture?” y. ‘‘-You must be right,” decided Harley. “I am sure the outlaws were routed, | they must all be fugitives, Annie, I’m going to have that boat.’ **T'll help you.” ** Plucky girl! Come on.” They could dimly discern the shadowy out- lines of the boat many feet away, and soon, swimming with soft, noiseless strokes, they made Me: oe of a man sitting bolt upright in cra Harley whispered in Annie’s ear, and then they swam away to either end of the boat, try- ee keep under water most of the time. moment later the boat rocked with a vio- lent motion. The man in it dropped his oars and tried to save himself by madly clutching at the gunwales, but be was too completely over- balanced to save himself from falling. Out of the boat he went with a heavy splash and Harley, clutching one of the oars, lea into the boat with it in a style possible only to a nimble and skillful athlete, ‘*Oh-h-h!” spluttered the man who had so unceremouiously been Gumped into the water. fs Hold on, curse you, and I'll cut your hear‘ out, . Harley would have willingly declined tho offer, but Annie was swimming off after the other oar, and he could not leave her, The man with a howl of rage made for the boat, and without waiting to draw a weapon, Har- ley lifted the oar, intending to use the weapon club fashion. ‘‘Keep out of danger, Annie,” be shouted, and then turned to meet bis foe. The fellow had drawn a knife, and was holding it in bis teeth while swimming with rapid strokes toward the drifting boat. Harley waited for a good opportunity, and then cracked the fellow over the head with the blade of the oar. . The rascal, one of Dick Crowell’s men, gave a howl of pain, and then, with a sudden resolve, darted through the water toward the girl. He caught Annie about the body, and in a trium- phant manner said: ff guess ou’ll take me aboard now. don’t Pll kill the girl.” That seemed to arouse all the tiger in the a balloonist’s nature, and with a cry of rage he leaped erect in the boat, with his knife in his band. With an accurate eye be measured the dis- tance, and made the leap, alighting fairly upon the villain’s shoulders. He struck with the knife as he descended, and peinaee the long blade deep into the man’s back. That ended the matter. The fellow gasped, let go his hold on Annie, and rolled over like a log, while side by side, taking the oar with them, the young couple swam to the boat. They clambered in, and Harley seized the oars, just as Annie, pointing away to the east, exclaimed; ‘‘ Look! the Sky Traveler is coming down, and by the light of the flames I think I can see the tops of trees.” ‘‘Then,” returned Harley, as he bent to the oars, ‘‘land cannot be far away. Il pull with might and main and try to reach the sbore be- fore the balloon comes down, If Crowell isn’t killed by the fall, I want a shot at him,” CHAPTER XV. CONCLUSION. 7 WHEN one is in a balloon, the loss of even an ordinary silver or copper coin, thrown over the side, is appreciably marked by tbe rising of the air-ship. The reader can, therefore, judge how reat a bound the Sky veler must have aah when Harley leaped from the car with Annie Bradley in his arms. The burning balloon made an immense leap when relieved of this weight, and Crowell felt his heart fall as the conveyance ascended, He knew nothing about the management of a balloon, and even had he been an expert aero- naut, the knowledge would not have availed him now. i Lome he muttered, shrinking back in fear from the tongues of bright flame that leaped from the bottom of the silken bag, and seemed to dart at him, ‘I shall be roasted alive in this infernal trap. Why did I ever trust myself init? Fool that I was to be so frightened, merely because that boy _ caught sight of the black cross on my arm, I[ would have been better off bad Istuck to my men, taking all the chances.” Too late the villain repented the terrible con- sequences of his sudden fright upon the field of battle. The fiery, long tongues of flame hissed about him, striking terror to his soul, and caus- ing him to crouch trembling upon the floor of the car. Several hundred feet the balloon shot up; then the cecape of the gas overcame the loss of weight, and the Sky Traveler began to ascend, moving along with a slow current at the same If you uddenly the trembling villain’s ears were sa- luted with a loud report. A section of the silken: bag had been split by the action of the burning gas. com ebooks ico