Part 16 (1/2)
”Yes,” assented the baronet, who next turned to his more distant companions and hailed the, after all The best thing we can now do is to make our way back to the shi+p with all speed, e can renew the pursuit, unless, as seems only too probable, we are about to have our hands full with the co storest that each of us put his best foot foremost”
”Ay, ay,” replied Mildreatly ular tornado”
”A tornado!” gasped the professor ”Run--run for your lives; I verily believe _I forgot to ot to moor the shi+p! Could such fatal carelessness be possible? If so, they must indeed run for their lives; for should the storm burst before they reached the shi+p she would be whirled away over the plain like an empty bladder before the blast, to what distance and hat results it was difficult just then to foreshadow; but a the possibilities which instantly presented themselves to the mind was that of death to the two ine to the craft herself, and four persons left to shi+ft for the but the clothes they wore, the rifles they carried, and about a dozen rounds of ah to send a h the stoutest heart there, but it also at the same time endowed they; and the four men at once started for the shi+p at a speed which, even at the moment and to themselves, seemed incredible
The distance they had to traverse was but short, a mere half-mile or so perhaps; but to the runners it seeh they would _never_ reach their goal The grass was long and tangled, and rapid progress through it was possible only by a series of leaps or bounds; any othertripped up at every other step This, to men unaccusto process; but in addition to this they had to contend with the stifling heat of the stagnant ath even whilst they had been in a condition of comparative inactivity; now it seeth and cause their li heavy as lead about them Then, too, the air had become so rarefied that it seemed impossible to breathe, whilst the blood rushed to their heads, and their hearts thuh nature could bear the tremendous exertion no more, and that the runners must drop dead upon the plain Still, however, theas an effectual spur to their flagging energies The dark slate-coloured cloud had already reached the zenith, deepening in tint rown alreat drops of hot rain splashed down upon the panting runners; and, as they rounded the end of the bush clu flash of lightning blazed out fro peal of thunder which rattled and crashed and booradually died away in the distance A perfect deluge of rain al the runners to the skin in an instant as effectually as though they had been plunged into the sea This lasted for perhaps ten seconds, during which every object, even to the racing figures of their co water
Then the rain ceased as abruptly as it had begun, the travellers finding the hull of the _Flying Fish_
”Last asped the baronet as he dashed up first to the opening in the shi+p's bottom The others were only a few yards behind him and heard his command; so he wasted nospiral staircase leading to the pilot-house, having reached which he laid his hands upon the engine lever and tiller, and gaspingly awaited the signal shout which should tell hih the sof the hurricane
He had not long to wait Almost before he had found time to remove his hat and wipe the perspiration fro up the staircase shaft fro the fact that the trap-door was securely closed; and Sir Reginald instantly raised the shi+p froently ahead at the sa the _Flying Fish_ stem-on to the direction from which he expected the hurricane
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
A BATTLE ON LAKE TANGANYIKA
The shi+p had risen about one hundred feet frole revolution, when the black pall of murky cloud suddenly burst apart on the south-western horizon, revealing a broad patch of livid coppery-looking sky behind it; and at the sa sound becarey veil of vapour seemed at the same time to overspread the more distant features of the landscape in that quarter, and through it the baronet and his three coe of the round before so sound rapidly increased in power and volu speed; the long billowy grass was flattened down to the earth, as if under the pressure of a heavy roller; the successive clumps of bush were seen to yield one after the other to the resistless power of the hurricane, and the air in that direction grew dark with the leaves and branches which were torn froher Lift her above the power of the hurricane altogether if you have still tiinald's ear, as the roar of the approaching tornado thundered in their ears with al intensity
”No,” shouted back the baronet; ”I a how she will bear the stroke of the gale Hold on tight all of you!”
And as he spoke he sent the engines ahead at full speed, and drove the shi+p forward right in the teeth of the hurricane
The next instant, with an appalling burst of sound, the gale was upon them Contrary to their expectations, there was scarcely any perceptible shock, but the shi+p's speed was rapidly checked much as is the speed of an express train when the brakes are suddenly and powerfully applied, and in so ahead at their utround was as effectually checked as though she had been lying at anchor
Meanwhile the air was one vast volume of awful sound, and thick with the clouds of dust, and tufts of grass, and leaves, and hurtling branches which were being whirled furiously along upon the wings of the tornado, so that the inmates of the pilot-house could neither hear each other speak nor see any object beyond a quarter of a mile away on either side
This lasted for perhaps three minutes, when the wind suddenly lulled, and the shi+p at once began to forge rapidly ahead The lull lasted perhaps half a one before, excepting that perhaps the as not _quite_ so strong as at the first outburst But it was of longer duration, the second instal fully half an hour, after which the wind gradually dropped to a gentle breeze, the sky cleared, the sun reappeared in all his wonted splendour, and the air resuht was now presented to the view of the travellers; what a scene of devastation was that which lay outspread around theround that it would scarcely have afforded cover to the s prostrate, either uprooted altogether, or their massive trunks snapped short off, whilst others still retained their upright position indeed, but stood denuded of every branch Other trees again, whilst lessleaves here and there, and the saled growth known as ”bush,” the upper portions of which presented s And in soe cluround and swept re for perhaps ht of all was presented by the ani Fish_ had by this time risen, a very wide extent of the plateau below could be surveyed, and on this in every direction could be seen the wild creatures of the forest, the jungle, and the plain,froress of the tornado, and all of the evidences of demoralisation and terror Deer and antelopes of various species lay crouched upon the ground palpably quivering with fear, or li doubtless injured through the creature having been hurled violently to the ground, or struck by so branch The lion and hisharmlessly and aimlessly to and fro in the midst of hundreds of creatures which on ordinary occasions would afford them a welcome prey, but which were now too completely overcome with terror to notice their presence In one place a fine elephant lay prostrate, his massive spine apparently broken by the fall of an enorround; and in another, an ionistic species were seen huddled proether under the lee of an immense belt of bush, where they seemed to have found a shelter from which they were evidently still afraid to venture
At length, having seen enough to afford theht by the stor of their steps with the object of again finding, if possible, the troop of unicorns The shi+p was accordingly put about, and in a short time the spot was reached on which still lay the carcasses of the leopard and the feround in order that the party ht secure the two skins, which was done; but the hide of the unicorn was so dreadfully lacerated by the claws of the leopard that the professor was plunged into the lowest depths of chagrin and despondency The pursuit of the lost aniht of five thousand feet into the air and then going ahead dead slow in the direction taken by the unicorns, the four gentle theeous positions on deck and round over which they passed
This htfall without result; and it then became evident that the animals of which they were in pursuit had somehow eluded theood face upon his disappointht to earth and securely ht, the party left the pilot-house and went below to take their evening bath previous to dinner, ”it is disappointing, but it cannot be helped Perhaps we shall be fortunate enough to encounter them or others to-morroend our way southward And, _a propos_ of our next destination, I have a suggestion which I should like to make, and which I will lay before you e ly, when they had fairly settled down to the inald called upon the scientist for his suggestion or proposal
”Iyou that I have again been diving into my lamented friend's note-book, which I may say _en passant_ is the most remarkable volume I have ever co of 'Africa,' a most clever and scholarly disquisition on 'the site of ancient Ophir,' the place froold for the building of Solouments and authorities which are cited in the endeavour to identity the position of thisspot; suffice it to say, that I aer upon it on the map The principal, indeed I ion has never yet been explored are, first, its extreme difficulty of access except by sea; and secondly, the fact that all recorded attempts to penetrate it have been thwarted by the inhabitants, who are a e race of people _We_, however, are fortunately possessed of exceptional, or I should rather say unique, estion is that we should--”