The Sky Rocket was already on the runway, in perfect condition for the trip. Her high-powered Wright engine was performing as excellently as an expensive watch; her instruments were in tune3, her tanks filled. The wireless4 had been tested, and found to be working, and the rubber life-boat which Linda had ordered was tucked away in the plane.
“What are the weather predictions for this morning?” Linda inquired of the mechanic, as Dot put the lunch into the cockpit.
186
“Good for at least twenty-four hours,” he replied. “But that’s not the only danger, Miss Carlton.” He shook his head ominously6. “This is sure suicide,” he predicted.
“Why?” demanded Dot. “Isn’t the motor in perfect condition? There isn’t anything wrong, is there?”
“No. She’s O.K. Oiled her up a bit, and tightened7 a few screws. It isn’t that. But you’ll run into a typhoon, or lose your way—”
“It’s a pretty straight course,” said Linda. “We’re on the Tropic of Cancer now, and Hawaii is just a little below it. It looks like pretty easy navigating8 to me.”
“You’re welcome to it. And—happy landing!”
Linda and Dot lost no time in getting started. Five minutes later the Sky Rocket was triumphantly9 rising into the air, heading straight towards the ocean. Over the weeds and rough seashore growth on the beach, past the waves breaking on the shore of the Pacific! The sun had not yet risen, but it was light enough to see where they were going. On they flew; now the waves seemed higher, but the air was calm.
187
There was little wind, so Linda continued to fly low, so that they could make use of the cushion of air on top of the water. And it was thrilling to watch the ocean—more exciting than seeing it from the deck of a boat.
“It does seem calmer than the Atlantic,” observed Dot, in a loud tone. Seated side by side as they were in the companion cockpit, it was not necessary to use the speaking-tube, and for this advantage they were grateful. “They say that’s why it was called the ‘Pacific.’”
“It’s beautiful, anyway,” returned Linda, admiringly.
On and on they flew, ever westward10, as the sun rose in its full glory behind them. Soon the land was lost to view; there were no vessels11 in sight—only limitless sky and ocean, and two girls alone in that vast, empty universe. But both girls were in high spirits; neither was the least bit afraid.
Climbing a little higher, Linda opened her throttle12 to its maximum, and found themselves travelling at a speed of a hundred and fifty miles an hour. The girls laughed and sang at the joy of the exhilarating motion, but they did not attempt to talk. There was so much to think about—the fun of the flight, and the triumph of landing in Hawaii, ahead of that boat, the “Mona.” Oh, if they only made it!
188
Water everywhere—and the sky overhead. Noontime came, with the sun right above them, and the girls realized that it had been a long time since they had eaten. Dot made a dive for the coffee and sandwiches, divided off as they were in portions for lunch and supper and breakfast, and both girls ate ravenously13. When they had finished she insisted that Linda take a rest.
With a yawn and a stretch, Linda willingly complied, and gave the controls over to the other girl. It would afford her not only an opportunity to relax, but a chance to study the maps as well.
“We’ve covered eight hundred miles already,” she shouted in Dot’s ear. “And we’re sticking straight to our course.”
“How’s the gas holding out?” returned her companion.
“Fine. I think we’ll have some left over, at this rate.... Now Dot, if you’re all right, I think I’ll take forty winks14. Even that blazing sun doesn’t seem to keep me from being sleepy.”
189
The other girl nodded, and Linda slipped off to sleep. Even the bumps in the air seemed to have no effect upon her slumbers15; for an hour perhaps, she slept soundly, while Dot continued on the flight. Then, all of a sudden she was abruptly16 awakened17 by a terrified cry from her companion. The plane was dropping—it seemed to be diving right into the ocean—into the very jaws18 of death!
For one brief moment Linda thought of the life-boat, but that did not seem feasible now. Instinctively19 she grabbed the stick, and pulled it back sharply. The Sky Rocket wobbled almost on the surface of the water, and at that very moment a hideous20, terrifying shark poked21 its head above the surface!
For one awful second death stared them in the face. Not the easy death of drowning, but a horrible torturing agony at the jaws of a ferocious22 fish. The plane seemed to hover23 uncertainly for a moment; then with a sudden lightning speed it gathered control and started to climb upward—to safety!
Linda let out a gasp24 of relief, and Dot sobbed25 in contrition26 as the Sky Rocket soared into the air.
190
“I don’t know how I could have done it,” wailed27 Dot. “All of a sudden, it seemed as if we were headed straight for the ocean, and nothing could stop us. If you hadn’t taken hold that very instant, we’d have been killed.”
“It was a lucky escape,” returned Linda. “And from now on we’ll make it a point to fly higher, even if we can’t use the wind to such advantage, as we could right over the water.”
The afternoon passed, with the motor still functioning perfectly28. The wind increased somewhat, but not enough to disturb Linda greatly. She was continuing to fly high, for she didn’t want to run any risk of hitting that deep, terrifying ocean again. A little before sunset they sighted a ship.
“I’m going a little lower,” she shouted to Dot. “Get your glasses. We’ll see whether that’s the ‘Mona.’”
“It is!” exclaimed Dot, a few minutes later. “I suppose we’re too far south to meet the regular Los Angeles-Hawaii lines. But we must be following about the same course as the ‘Mona.’”
“Keep a watch-out for the girl-friend!” advised Linda.
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Down they glided29, keeping the ship in sight until they were about a hundred feet over the water. It was a small boat—not nearly so large as the regular San Francisco-Hawaii line; and they could see the people hurrying to the deck, peering through their glasses, and waving and shouting in greeting. Dot, too, did her share of the searching.
“I don’t see them,” she said.
Linda looked intently, but she could not distinguish the passengers’ faces. However, she did not think it was likely that Sprague or his wife would be waving to them. They would surely recognize the plane.
“Probably they’ve been keeping off the decks,” she said. “Hiding, as much as possible, without arousing suspicion.”
“Maybe the girl’s seasick,” observed Dot. “I only hope she doesn’t pass out and get buried at sea, before we ever have a look at her, or a chance to collect that five thousand,” remarked Dot.
192
Linda regained30 her height, and sped onward31, determined32 to get to Hawaii well in advance of the boat, and to lie in wait for the criminals. The blood was rushing through her veins33, and she was thrilled with the chase, but she resolutely34 kept calm. The worst of the trip—the black night—was ahead of her, and she needed every ounce she had of energy and nerve.
The plane was still doing well over a hundred miles an hour, and going forward with mighty35 gains, eating up the miles. The sun set and once again the girls ate some sandwiches and drank more coffee.
“I’m almost afraid to offer to take the controls and let you rest,” said Dot, humbly36. “After the way I fell down before.”
“It was the Sky Rocket that did the falling,” laughed Linda. “But I guess that wouldn’t happen again. You’ll stay up high, I’m thinking.”
“You’ll trust me again?”
“Certainly, Dot. Don’t be so foolish. Besides, I want to do a little calculating.”
Relaxing back in her seat, Linda consulted her maps and her sextant, when suddenly she heard a queer noise. The motor was knocking in a strange, ominous5 way that almost made the girls’ hearts stop beating. Was it going dead? Panic-stricken, Dot looked down on the ocean, hoping that she could see the “Mona,” or some other ship that might rescue them, and Linda’s thoughts turned to the wireless.
193
The tapping was growing worse; the engine seemed to be dying. Linda racked her brain for a reason; surely the gas hadn’t given out. Telling Dot to keep on guiding the plane, she examined the feed-valve. And here she located the trouble!
A broad smile of relief spread over her face. “I can fix that, easily,” she assured her companion. “Just hang on for a couple of minutes.”
She was as good as her word; soon the knocking ceased, and the engine was running as smoothly37 as when the Sky Rocket left Cape San Lucas. And Linda herself was back at the controls, urging Dot to avail herself of a nap while she had the chance.
It was entirely38 dark now, and the stars were shining in the sky, and reflected in the ocean, making a beautiful picture for the girls as they flew on. Phosphorescent lights, too, played through the water, reminding Linda of the dangerous life beneath.
194
Towards ten o’clock, while Dot was taking her nap, they had one more terrifying experience. Suddenly, for no reason at all, they started to fall. Yet the engine was not dead, nor was their motion slow enough for a stall. There was only one explanation, of course: an air-pocket. Down, down they came, like an elevator whose cords have been broken. Dot wakened up with a scream and the beads39 of perspiration40 stood out on Linda’s forehead, for she believed that this time the sea was really about to swallow them.
But she had been flying high, and this proved to be her salvation41. She tried banking42 the plane, first on one side and then on the other, breaking the fall, but making both herself and Dot dizzy with the sickening motion. Her head swam; she hardly knew what she was doing, and there was the black water beneath them. But at last a current of air swept under the wings, assuring her that she was out of danger once more. Making a sharp turn away from the air-pocket, she found her plane responding to the stick as she started to climb back again to the height she had lost.
The girls breathed freely again, and Dot, now wide awake, produced coffee from the thermos43 bottle, for they felt in need of a stimulant44. But, as the plane flew fearlessly on, and the flight again became monotonous45, Dot fell asleep once more, and Linda continued, waking and watchful46.
195
She watched the stars fade gradually from the sky, and the first gray light play over the sea. Tensely alert, she glanced eagerly at her speedometer. If her calculations were correct, there were only three hundred miles more to go!
It was considerably47 lighter48 when Dot finally opened her eyes.
“Fine companion I am!” she exclaimed, in shame. “To go to sleep like that. Leaving you as lonely as you were on your Atlantic flight!”
Linda reached over and touched her hand affectionately.
“Don’t you believe it, Dot!” she said. “It makes a big difference, having you here.... And if you’re awake now, I’d like to have you take control. I want to do some figuring. Now that we’re getting so near, I want to locate the islands. Suppose we’d miss them, after coming all this distance!”
“Suppose we would!” repeated Dot. “And never realize it till we landed on the coast of Australia!”
196
“We’d know it before then. Our gas would give out somewhere in the middle of the ocean.”
“Well, we’re not going to miss them!”
It was, as Linda said, one of the most difficult parts of the flight, to locate those tiny dots of islands in the vast expanse of ocean. But Linda was a good navigator, and she made her calculations correctly. They were, she discovered, only about fifty miles off their course—an error which was easily remedied, since their gas supply was adequate.
“A hundred miles more!” she announced, when she finally resumed control. “Now we can watch for the sea-gulls!”
Nearer and nearer to their destination they came. Now Dot spied some fishing craft with her glasses, and that fact told her that the shore must be near. Her excitement was so intense that she could hardly sit still. The end of her first ocean flight! Her first landing from over the water!
“We’re coming!” she shouted, in wild exultation49.
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Linda was almost equally thrilled, although her pulse was calmer. It had been less terrifying, less difficult, less nerve-racking than the solitary50, long flight over the Atlantic. But she was nevertheless excited.
Now the cliffs rose from the ocean, and the waves broke against the shore, showing their white-caps. And, as if to stage a dramatic arrival, the sun rose in all its glory, shedding its beams over the land and water.
The green island of Molokai was beneath them!
But this was not their destination, and Linda pressed on.
“Aren’t you going to land?” cried Dot, in disappointment.
“No,” returned Linda. “We are making for the island of Oahu. I must come down in Honolulu.”
On they flew, past Molokai, directing their course southwest, over the indigo51 waters of the Pacific, now so beautiful in the sunlight, then swinging north towards the capital city of the Hawaiian Islands. Now they saw speed boats and launches on the waves; they passed the great Diamond Head, and Waikiki beach, and hovered52 at last over the Rogers Airport on the coast.
198
“Honolulu!” cried Linda, joyously53. “We are here!”
As the girls looked beneath them, it seemed for a moment as if the airport were a bed of flowers. Garlands of leis and gardenias54 filled the air with a strange and wonderful fragrance55. Then, as Linda dropped lower, she realized that these flowers were all in the arms of people standing56 about the ground. People of every race and color.
“Who are all those people?” demanded Dot. “Do you suppose there’s been an accident?”
“Oh, I hope not!” replied Linda. “I’ll keep on flying over the field until they scatter57. I mustn’t hurt anybody.” She brought the Sky Rocket lower, and gave a signal that she wanted to land.
But already policemen were busily pushing the crowd back, making a clear runway for the plane. When Linda thought it was safe, she gracefully58 glided to the ground.
Even above the noise of the engine, the girls heard the wild shouts of the multitude.
199
“Hello, Linda Carlton! Hello, Dot Crowley!” seemed to rise from every direction, and flowers were strewn in their path. “Welcome to Oahu!”
The girls stared at each other a moment in consternation59, not understanding how these people could possibly be informed of their names. But only a moment, for the crowd rushed in, and it took all the policemen’s efforts to hold them in check. A small and select group of half a dozen or so were admitted close to the plane.
From this group, a couple of young fliers stepped forward and lifted the girls right out of the cockpit.
“Congratulations to the first girls to cross the Pacific!” they cried, as they put garlands of leis around their necks. Then, with Linda and Dot on their shoulders, high over the heads of the crowd, the boys carried them to a waiting car.
“Aloha!” shouted everyone as they passed. “To our heroines of the air!”
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1
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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3
tune
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| n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整 | |
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4
wireless
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| adj.无线的；n.无线电 | |
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5
ominous
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| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
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6
ominously
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| adv.恶兆地，不吉利地；预示地 | |
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7
tightened
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| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
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8
navigating
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| v.给（船舶、飞机等）引航，导航( navigate的现在分词 )；（从海上、空中等）横越；横渡；飞跃 | |
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9
triumphantly
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| ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地 | |
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10
westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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11
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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12
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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13
ravenously
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| adv.大嚼地，饥饿地 | |
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14
winks
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| v.使眼色( wink的第三人称单数 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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15
slumbers
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| 睡眠，安眠( slumber的名词复数 ) | |
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16
abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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17
awakened
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| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
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18
jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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instinctively
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| adv.本能地 | |
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20
hideous
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| adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的 | |
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21
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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ferocious
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| adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的 | |
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23
hover
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| vi.翱翔，盘旋；徘徊；彷徨，犹豫 | |
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24
gasp
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| n.喘息，气喘；v.喘息；气吁吁他说 | |
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sobbed
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| 哭泣，啜泣( sob的过去式和过去分词 )； 哭诉，呜咽地说 | |
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26
contrition
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| n.悔罪，痛悔 | |
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27
wailed
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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28
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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29
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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30
regained
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| 复得( regain的过去式和过去分词 )； 赢回； 重回； 复至某地 | |
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onward
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| adj.向前的，前进的；adv.向前，前进，在先 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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34
resolutely
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| adj.坚决地，果断地 | |
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mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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humbly
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| adv. 恭顺地，谦卑地 | |
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37
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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38
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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39
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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40
perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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41
salvation
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| n.（尤指基督）救世，超度，拯救，解困 | |
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42
banking
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| n.银行业，银行学，金融业 | |
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43
thermos
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| n.保湿瓶，热水瓶 | |
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44
stimulant
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| n.刺激物，兴奋剂 | |
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45
monotonous
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| adj.单调的，一成不变的，使人厌倦的 | |
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46
watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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47
considerably
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| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
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48
lighter
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| n.打火机，点火器；驳船；v.用驳船运送；light的比较级 | |
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49
exultation
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| n.狂喜，得意 | |
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50
solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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51
indigo
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| n.靛青，靛蓝 | |
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52
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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53
joyously
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| ad.快乐地, 高兴地 | |
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54
gardenias
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| n.栀子属植物，栀子花( gardenia的名词复数 ) | |
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55
fragrance
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| n.芬芳，香味，香气 | |
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56
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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57
scatter
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| vt.撒，驱散，散开；散布/播；vi.分散，消散 | |
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58
gracefully
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| ad.大大方方地；优美地 | |
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59
consternation
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| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
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