Part 15 (1/2)

”Bless my toy balloon!” shouted Mr. Damon. ”We're falling, Tom!”

It needed but a glance at the needle of the barograph, to show this.

Tom followed Ned at top speed, but ere either of them reached the engine room the pounding and grinding noises ceased, the airs.h.i.+p began to mount upward again, and it seemed that the danger had pa.s.sed.

”What can have happened?” gasped Tom.

”Come on, we'll soon see,” said Ned, and they rushed on, followed by Mr. Damon, who was blessing things in a whisper.

The chums saw a moment later--saw a strange sight--for there was Koku, the giant, kneeling down on the floor of the motor room, with his big hands clasped over one of the braces of the bed-plate of the great air pump, which cooled the cylinders of the motor. The pump had torn partly away from its fastenings. Kneeling there, pressing down on the bed-plate with all his might, Koku was in grave danger, for the rod of the pump, plunging up and down, was within a fraction of an inch of his head, and, had he moved, the big taper pin, which held the plunger to the axle, would have struck his temple and probably would have killed him, for the pin, which held the plunger rigid, projected several inches from the smooth side of the rod.

”Koku, what is the matter? Why are you there?” cried Tom, for he could see nothing wrong with the machinery now. The airs.h.i.+p was sailing on as before.

”Bolt break,” explained the giant briefly, for he had learned some engineering terms since he had been with Tom. ”Bolt that hold pump fast to floor crack off. Pump him begin to jump up. Make bad noise.

Koku hold him down, but pretty hard work. Better put in new bolt, Mr. Tom.”

They could see the strain that was put upon the giant in his swelling veins and the muscles of his hands and arms, for they stood out knotted, and in bunches. With all his great strength it was all Koku could do to hold the pump from tearing completely loose.

”Quick, Ned!” cried Tom. ”Shut off all the power! Stop the pump!

I've got to bolt it fast. Start the gas machine, Mr. Damon. You know how to do it. It works independent of the motor. You can let go in a minute, Koku!”

It took but a few seconds to do all this. Ned stopped the main motor, which had the effect of causing the propellers to cease revolving. Then the airs.h.i.+p would have gone down but for the fact that she was now a balloon, Mr. Damon having started the generating machine which sent the powerful lifting gas into the big bag over head.

”Now you can let go, Koku,” said Tom, for with the stooping of the motor the air pump ceased plunging, and there was no danger of it tearing loose.

”Bless my court plaster!” cried Mr. Damon. ”What happened, Tom?”

As the giant arose from his kneeling position the cause of the accident could easily be seen. Two of the big belts that held down one end of the pump bed-plate to the floor of the airs.h.i.+p, had cracked off, probably through some defect, or because of the long and constant vibration on them.

This caused a great strain on the two forward bolts, and the pump started to tear itself loose. Had it done so there would have been a serious accident, for there would have been a tangle in the machinery that might never have been repairable. But Koku, who, it seems, had been watching the pump, saw the accident as soon as it occurred. He knew that the pump must be held down, and kept rigid, and he took the only way open to him to accomplish this.

He pressed his big hands down over the place where the bolts had broken off, and by main strength of muscle he held the bed-plate in place until the power was shut off.

”Koku, my boy, you did a great thing!” cried Tom, when he realized what had happened. ”You saved all our lives, and the airs.h.i.+p as well.”

”Koku glad,” was the simple reply of the giant.

”But, bless my witch hazel!” cried Mr. Damon. ”There's blood on your hands, Koku!”

They looked at the giant's palms. They were raw and bleeding.

”How did it happen?” asked Ned.

”Where belts break off, iron rough-like,” explained Koku.

”Rough! I should say it was!” cried Tom. ”Why, he just pressed with all his might on the jagged end of the belts. Koku you're a hero!”

”Hero same as giant?” asked Koku, curiously.

”No, it's a heap sight better,” spoke Tom, and there was a trace of tears in his eyes.