Dave Dashaway and His Hydroplane; Or, Daring Adventures over the Great Lake
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CHAPTER VI
ABOARD THE HYDROPLANE
"Dashaway, you're a wonder."
"Thank you, sir."
"And I'm proud of you," added Mr. Robert King, the winner of themonoplane endurance prize, and the man who had practically adoptedDave into the aviation field.
"I've got something to say as to the matter of pride," spoke up oldGrimshaw. "A lad who can make the run Dashaway did with the BabyRacer, is a boy to holler about."
"If there's anything to be proud about," added Dave, "it's the rightgood friends I've made."
"My friends, too," put in the impetuous Hiram. "I'm getting alongfamously. Why, I only tipped out of the dummy airship onceyesterday."
All hands were in fine high spirits. It was several days after thewild night race Dave and Hiram had made to Kewaukee. Now the entireparty were on their way to the borders of the lake, where the newhydroplane made by the Interstate Aviation Company was ready for atrial trip. Grimshaw knew little of hydroplanes, and theInterstate people had sent an expert demonstrator to the spot toteach their young exhibitor the ropes. Dave had been constantlyunder this man's tuition.
It was far more easy, he had learned, to acquire a thoroughknowledge, of how to run a hydroplane than to operate a monoplane.It was simpler, and besides that his experience with an airshiphelped wonderfully.
Dave was winning golden opinions from his employers. The way inwhich he had dosed the Kewaukee contract had pleased them immensely.There was another end to the Kewaukee episode that had brought heapsof satisfaction to all of them, especially to Hiram Dobbs.
The Baby Racer had been quickly repaired at Kewaukee, and had made aspeedy return trip to Columbus. Somehow the story of how theInterstate people had outwitted the plots of the Star crowd hadgotten noised around the meet. Then a class journal devoted toaeronautics printed the story.
"Well," Hiram had come to Mr. King's hangar that morning to say,"the Dawson crowd are simply squelched. I met Jerry Dawson and hisfather. You ought to see the looks they gave me when I just grinnedat them, and said 'Contract!' It was like a fellow saying 'Baa!' tosheep. Why, those fellows just sneaked away. We've beaten them atevery angle, Dave, and I reckon they'll give up their meanness now,and quickly fade away."
"It would be a good thing for honest aeronautics if they would,"growled old Grimshaw.
"We'll hasten them with a little help, if they try any more tricks,"announced Mr. King.
The hydroplane had been run into a boat house after the practice ofthe day previous, and was all ready for use. It was equipped tocarry two or more passengers, and was driven by a fifty horse powermotor. It had two propellers, and these were controlled by chaintransmission.
Old Grimshaw had not much use for hydroplanes, he had told Dave.His hobby was air machines. However, because his favorite pupil wasgoing to run the machine, he allowed Dave to explain about thehydroplane, and was quite interested.
The machine had a bulkhead fore and aft, with an upward slope infront and a downward slope to the rear.
"It's safe, comfortable, and quick to rise to control," declaredDave. "See, Mr. Grimshaw, there's a new wrinkle."
Dave touched a little device attached to the flywheel. The latterwas made with teeth to fit into another gear, operated from a shaft.
"What do you call that, now?" asked the old airman.
"A self starter. You see, the shaft runs forward alongside thepilot's seat. Here's the handle of it, right at the end of theshaft."
"Looks all right," admitted Grimshaw grudgingly. "Give me the air,though, every time. If you want to be a sailor, why don't youenlist the navy?"
"How about an air and water combination, Grimshaw?" called Mr. King.
"Well, that is a little better," replied Grimshaw.
"I'm dying to see that new aero-hydroplane Dave's people are gettingout," remarked the ardent Hiram.
"They wrote me it would be completed this week," said Dave.
"And you are going to run it, Dave?"
"I think so, I hope so. They claim great things for it."
"Well, give your hydroplane a spin, Dashaway," suggested Mr. King."I want to see how she works, and must get back to the hangars onbusiness."
The Reliance, the new hydroplane of the Interstate people, wastwenty feet long and had a fuel gauge and a bilge pump.
Dave got into his seat, and Hiram sat directly beside him. A touchput the machinery in motion.
"There's a puffy eighteen mile wind, Dashaway," cried out Mr. King.
"Yes, I wouldn't venture too far from shore," advised Grimshaw, atrifle anxiously.
The water was quite rough where the flight started. The machineacted all right, however. A crowd had gathered on the beach, andthere was some encouraging cheering as the power boat gained goodheadway.
"Whew I what have you invited me to, Dave--bath?" puffed Hiram.
Dave had neglected to put in place the rubber cover, so that duringthe preliminary run along the water the waves drenched both of theboys.
Dave stopped the motor and started drifting, at a sudden current orbreeze sent the tail before the wind. The rear of the hydroplanewas forced under water.
"Look out!" ordered Dave sharply.
"I see--we're in for an upset," spoke Hiram quickly.
The hydroplane was forced over backwards, the tail striking a sandbar.
Dave and Hiram were both ready for the tip. They escaped with onlywetting their feet, for they climbed upon the bottom of the uppersurface as the hydro capsized.
The hydroplanes prevented the machine from sinking. Almost at oncea boat put out from shore. Once back at the boat house, the damageshown was a slight fracture to the main girder and some of the ribsat the trailing edge, and two broken tail spars. Dave sent Hiram atonce to the practice grounds to arrange about the repairs.
"It's no weather for a trial, Dashaway," said Mr. King, "I think Iwould postpone the trial trip until tomorrow, if I were you."
Dave did not commit himself. He stayed about the boat house afterthe airman and Grimshaw had gone away, watching every move of therepair man.
"She's staunch and sound as she was at the beginning," the latterdeclared, when he had completed his work.
"Yes, I think that is true," replied Dave.
"What's the programme?" inquired Hiram, "for I see you don't intendto give up."
"Not until I master the Reliance, just as I did the Baby Racer,"declared Dave. "That upset was necessary, I guess, to teach me thatI must drive on just as little surface as possible in speeding, andmake the wings do one half the work."
"Then you are going to try again?" questioned Hiram.
"Yes, Hiram. The waves aren't so choppy now, and the wind has gonedown a good deal."
"It's pretty late for much of a run," replied Hiram.
"Oh, we can make the end of the lake and back inside of an hour."
"Well, I'm always ready--with you," laughed Hiram gaily.
From the start this time Dave knew that he had a better grasp of themechanism than on his first trial. The Reliance behaved splendidly.Once clear of shore obstructions and sandbars, they must have run astretch at nearly forty miles an hour.
Sand Point, at the rounding end of the great lake, was reachedwithout a mishap. Dave did not wait to try any maneuvering for acrowd that had gathered to watch the Reliance.
"Straight home," he observed, as they made the turn.
"It's time, I'm thinking," said Hiram.
A squall had come up, and the dimness of coming eventide had alreadyspread over the water, but there was no rain. In fact, it hadturned too cold for that. A fine baffling mist was falling,however, and this was condensing into a heavy fog.
"Not much to see, eh?" propounded Dave, as they got clear of theshore. "I shouldn't like to run into some stray craft."
It was something of a strain on Dave, the present situation. No airsignal had yet been placed on the Reliance, nor was its lightingapparatus installed.
"What was that?" shouted out Hiram sharply, as there was a heavyjarring shock.
"Grazed a rock, I think," replied Dave. "I don't like this a bit.If I knew my bearings, I'd run straight ashore."
"Do it, anyway, Dave," advised Hiram. "We don't want to wreck theReliance on her first trip."
Dave gave the wheel a turn. Just then a distinct yell rang outacross the muggy waters, and then, in rapid succession, seven quick,snappy explosions.