CHAPTER V.
A WARM FIVE MINUTES.
"Fire! Fire!"
So Frank shouted, even as he jumped over the fence, and made a bee linefor the center of the big field, where the shed lay in which theprecious monoplane was stored.
He had hastily leaned his bicycle against the fence as he made theplunge. Nor did he cease to let out constant yells while running acrossthe open as fast as his agile legs could carry him. Twice he trippedover some object and nearly fell, only to recover himself and speed on.
As he ran he kept his eyes upon the low building beyond. In this mannerhe plainly saw the stooping figure of a man or boy making off in aroundabout way so as to avoid him.
Frank's heart was burning with indignation because of this dastardlyattempt to ruin the gallant little airship that had so nobly stood alltests and proven itself a splendid piece of workmanship.
"Oh, the contemptible coward! I'd just like to chase after him and getmy hands on him once!" was the thought that passed through his brain.
But he knew he could not. The scoundrel, no matter who it was, must beallowed to escape in order that he turn his attention to the burningshed and try to save the airship from destruction. Once the fire gotinside, there was enough of the dangerous gasoline about to insure thespeedy burning of the whole flimsy fabric, all but the motor itself.
So Frank kept headed straight for the hangar, trying to shut out thesight of that crouching, fleeing figure. He continued to lift his sturdyyoung voice in repeated shouts:
"Fire! Fire!"
Those in the house must hear; yes, and the neighbors, too. He might notbe able to master the flames alone and single handed, and would needhelp. Besides, it was only right that Andy, being part owner in themonoplane, should be made aware of its sudden peril.
As he thus drew near the low building he saw that the fire had alreadygained considerable headway, just as if the incendiary might have usedkerosene or some other inflammable fluid, to hasten matters.
Frank's heart grew cold as ice as he contemplated the rapidity withwhich those hungry flames were crawling up the dry boards thatconstituted the side of the shed.
But he did not lose his head in this sudden crisis. It wascharacteristic of Frank Bird that, no matter what the emergency, he wasalways cool enough to think out the proper thing to be done or else jumpat it through instinct.
And Frank had foreseen just some such possible need as this. He evenkept several buckets of moist sand handy, where it could be snatched upat a second's warning, knowing that most fires can be smothered, whenquenching them with water is out of the question.
"The buckets!" he gasped, as he arrived close to the building, one partof which was now fairly covered with the creeping tongues of ruddyfire. "I must use them on it!"
He had to turn the corner of the shed to get to where they stood. And ashe did so he ran plump into a figure that was coming toward him. Just intime did Frank dodge a big fist that shot out. And in that second herecognized in the other Shea, the Irishman who had been hired to keepwatch of the shed.
"Hold on, Shea!" shouted Frank. "It's me, Frank Bird. Somebody has setfire to the shed! Grab up a bucket of sand and carry it around here. Wecan put it out yet if we're busy!"
Shea had evidently only been aroused from a sound sleep by theapproaching cries of the boy and was still in a daze. He had discoveredthe fire, and hearing Frank running toward him, supposed that this mustbe the one who had done the evil deed.
But he had sense enough to do as he was told now, snatching up one ofthe sand buckets and following the boy. Frank immediately commencedfighting the flames with a vim. He slapped the wet sand at the creepingfire, and wherever it struck there seemed to come a quick abatement ofthe conflagration. But it was by this time so extended that as fast ashe succeeded in knocking it out in one place it cropped up afreshsomewhere else.
His ammunition would not last if this kept up.
"Get busy, Shea!" he cried. "Find something and slap at the fire for allyou're worth! Fight it, man, fight it!"
As Frank happened to turn his head to learn what the other was doing hesaw something that made very little impression on his mind just then,but which had considerable bearing on the matter later.
A light was speeding along the road, heading away from town, and Frankrealized that the firebug had seized upon his convenient wheel and wasmaking his escape.
Later on he might figure out the meaning of this movement. Just then hereally had no time to give it a thought, no matter if a dozen wheelswere concerned. The fire demanded every atom of his attention.
Shea did get busy. Once he became stirred up, and he proved a valuablehelper. He went for the flames tooth and nail, smothered them with hiscoat, regardless of consequences, after he had slipped that article ofwearing apparel off; kicked and tore and fought until it became evidentthat between them they were certainly making a decided impression on thethreatening conflagration.
All this while it seemed to Frank that his heart was in his throat. Notso much because he feared that they would fail to gain the mastery overthe fire as that some spark might find ingress to the shed and happen toalight upon a can of the dangerous gasoline.
If such a thing occurred he knew that it would be all over. The hangarmust be completely destroyed and, of course, their little darlingairship would share in its fate.
So, even though he saw the end of the conflagration in sight, Frank knewhe had no reason to breathe easily until every spark had been trampledunder foot.
By now he was conscious of loud shouts coming from points near at handand realized that doubtless Andy as well as others had been awakened bythe racket and were coming on the run to assist. Had the safety of theairship depended on their reaching the shed in time, though, its chanceswould have been next to nothing.
Frank was just stamping on what seemed to be the very last vestige ofthe fire when Andy came galloping to his side.
"W-what's all this mean, Frank? Where in the wide world did you comefrom, and who set our hangar afire?" he gasped, almost winded from hisexertions, for he had dressed in about a minute, despite his tremblingfingers, and was barefooted even then.
"Don't know who did it, but he ran off on my wheel a few minutes ago. Iwas on the way home--carrying medicine to Susie Lovejoy. Saw flames andgave alarm. Got here on the jump and we managed to get the better ofit. But it was a close shave, all right, I tell you, Andy!"
Frank himself had no breath to spare, nor could it be wondered at,considering the recent valiant fight which he had made against big odds.
"So the ornery skunks _did_ try to burn us out, after all!" burst forththe other part owner of the monoplane, bitterly. "Say, where was Sheaall this time? What use was he as a watchman?"
"He helped me good and hard at any rate. Only for Shea I'd never havegot the better of it, I'm afraid," said Frank, always ready to cover upany little failing on the part of another, though never hesitating todenounce his own shortcomings.
"But just to think of the meanness of it all," continued Andy, shakinghis head in the aggressive way he had. "That Puss Carberry ought to beshut up behind bars, that's my opinion straight from the shoulder, andif I could only find out for sure that he was in this I'd get ColonelJosiah to prosecute him to the limit."
"But we have no proof that it was Puss," remarked Frank. "The fellow whostole my wheel went off along the road _away_ from town. And hewent licketty split, too, as if he had business over in Shelby orNewtown. Perhaps it was only a hobo. He may have started the fire byaccident, and was trying to put it out when I saw him first. Then, whenI shouted, of course, he had to scoot."
"What's this?" demanded Andy, kicking some object, and then seizing holdof his foot, for he had forgotten that he had no shoes on.
Frank uttered a cry and picked it up.
"Look here, don't you recognize this?" he asked, as he held a can up.
It was Andy's turn to give vent to a low exclamation.
"Why, it's our kerosene can, Fran
k!" he said.
"That's what I thought. And it is kept on a bench just outside thekitchen door, isn't it?" demanded the other, quickly.
"That's a fact. And neither of us ever brought it here. Shea, did youever see this oil can before?" and Andy dangled it before the eyes ofthe watchman who had slept on his post.
"I niver did the same, sor," replied the man,as he surveyed the can.
"Then that settles it, Frank. The mean skunk grabbed that can andfetched it over here to spray the wall of the shed with oil and makingthe fire jump."
"True as you live," said the other. "Do you know, I thought I smelledburning kerosene. And that was why the flames kept crawling upeverywhere so fast. Well, it was a good job that we saved the place. Andain't I glad I didn't wait just five minutes longer at Lovejoy'splace. Nothing could have helped then, and we'd just have to buildanother airship. But here comes the colonel stumping along, Andy!"
Aeroplane Boys on the Wing Page 5