The next day every one was so busy that no one, not even Mark, recalled the little excitement of the night before. Shortly after noon, final preparations having been made, they all got aboard the Mermaid1 and started off.
It was a bright sunshiny day, and the craft, speeding away from the island where it had been constructed, over the dancing blue waves, must have presented a strange sight had there been any spectators. For surely no such ship had ever before sailed those waters.
However, there was no other vessel2 in sight, and the island, as far as the professor and his friends knew, had never been inhabited.
“We will not try for any great speed,” Mr. Henderson remarked as he, with Mark and Jack3, stood in the conning4 tower managing the Mermaid. “We don’t want to strain any joints5 at the start or heat any engine bearings. There will be time enough for speed later.”
“Yes, and we may need it more when we get into the centre of the earth than we do now,” observed Mark.
“Why so?” asked Jack.
“No telling what we may run up against underneath6 the ground,” went on Mark. “We may have to fight strange animals and stranger beings. Besides, the atmosphere and water there can’t be the same as up here; do you think so, Professor?”
For a few minutes the scientist was silent. He seemed to be thinking deeply.
“I will tell you what I believe,” he said at length. “I have never spoken of it before, but now that we are fairly started and may eventually have a chance to prove my theory, I will say that I think the centre of this earth on which we live is hollow. Inside of it, forming a core, so to speak, I believe there is another earth, similar to ours in some respects which revolves8 inside this larger sphere.”
They were well out to sea now, as they could observe when they emerged on the little deck. Above their heads was the aluminum9 gas holder10, which served as a sort of protection from the sun that was quite warm. The Mermaid rode with an easy motion, being submerged just enough to make her steady, yet not deep enough to encounter much resistance from the water. In fact it could not have been arranged better for speed or comfort.
“I think we will sail well to the eastward11 before making our course south,” Mr. Henderson said. “I do not care to meet too many ships, as those aboard will be very curious and I do not want too much news of this venture to get out. We will take an unfrequented route and avoid delays by being hailed by every passing vessel whose captain will wonder what queer craft he had met with.”
The boys enjoyed the sail, for the weather could not have been better. Even old Andy, who seldom said much, seemed delighted with the prospect12 of having strange adventures. He had his rifle with him, and, indeed, he seldom went anywhere that he did not carry it.
“For there’s no telling when you may see something you want to shoot or that ought to be shot,” he used to say, “and it’s always the man without a gun who needs it most. So I’m taking no chances.”
They sailed all that afternoon without meeting with a craft of any kind. Straight to the east they went, and when night began to settle down Washington got supper. It was decided13 to run slowly after dark until all hands were more familiar with the ship.
Morning found the Mermaid about a hundred miles from the island where she had been launched. The night had been uneventful, except that Mark told Jack he heard some strange noise near his bunk14 several times. He was nearest the storeroom where spare parts, and the curious cylinder15 the professor had brought aboard, were kept.
“I guess it was rats,” said Jack. “They are always in ships.”
“Old wooden ships, yes,” admitted Mark. “But I’ll bet there’s not a rat aboard the Mermaid.”
“Then you were dreaming,” said Jack, as if that settled it.
Mark did not speak further of the noise, but he did considerable thinking. However, the next night there was no further disturbance16.
The fourth day out, when everything had passed off well, the engines doing their best, the professor decided to speed them up a bit, since he was satisfied they had “found” themselves as mechanics term it.
“We’ll see how fast we can go through the water,” said Mr. Henderson, “and then I think we can safely turn our course south. We are well beyond the ordinary lines of travel now.”
Having oiled the bearings well, and seen that everything was in place and properly adjusted, the professor and the boys took their places in the conning tower, while Washington, Tom and Bill remained in the engine room. Andy stayed on deck with his gun.
“I might see a big fish, and we could vary our bill of fare,” he said with a laugh.
“Here we go!” exclaimed the professor as he shifted the levers and turned some wheels and valves. “Now we’ll see how fast we can travel.”
As he spoke7 the Mermaid responded to the added impulse of the compressed air and shot through the water at a terrific speed. The sudden increase in momentum17 almost threw the boys from their feet, and they would have fallen had they not grasped some projecting levers.
“I guess that will do,” said the scientist. “I think we have speed enough for almost any emergency. I’ll let her run at this rate for a while, and then we’ll slack up.”
Looking ahead, the boys could see the green waters parting in front of the bow of the Mermaid, as if to make room for her. Two huge waves were thrown upon either side.
With a turn of his wrist Mr. Henderson moved the wheel which controlled the tube. It was deflected20 and sent the boat to larboard.
At that instant from the rock two small fountains of water rose in the air, falling back in a shower of spray through which the sun gleamed.
“That’s not a rock! It’s a big whale!” cried Jack. “And we’re going to hit him!”
The professor had miscalculated the speed of the craft, or else had not thrown her far enough to larboard, for, a second later, the Mermaid was almost upon the big leviathan.
With a desperate twirling of the steering wheel the professor veered21 the craft as far as possible. But all he could do did not suffice, for the craft hit the whale a glancing blow on the side, and the ship careened as if she would turn turtle.
At the same time there rang out from upon deck the sound of a rifle shot. Old Andy had taken a chance at the enormous creature of the deep.
“Hurrah!” the boys heard him shout. “I give him one plumb22 in the eye! A fine shot! And we hit him besides with the boat. I guess he’s a goner!”
“I’m afraid not,” muttered the professor. “That was a bad blow we struck him, but I think it will only ruffle23 his temper. We’ll have to look sharp now, boys.”
By this time the ship had rushed past the whale, but the boys, looking through a window in the rear of the tower could see the huge body. Now the fountains of water which the whale spouted24 were tinged25 with red.
“He’s bleeding!” exclaimed the professor. “I guess Andy hit him in a vital spot.”
“But not vital enough!” cried Mark. “See! He’s coming after us!”
And so it proved. The whale, angered, and, probably half crazed by the pain of the bullet and the blow, was coursing after the ship, coming on with the speed of an express train. Straight at the Mermaid he lunged his huge bulk.
“We must escape him!” cried Mr. Henderson. “If he hits us he’ll send us to the bottom!”
He had made ready to slow up the Mermaid to see if it had sustained any damage from the impact with the whale, but when he saw the monster coming after the boat he knew the only safety lay in flight.
“Let us go up into the air and so escape him!” cried Jack, with sudden inspiration.
For an instant neither Mark nor the professor grasped what Jack meant. Then, with an exclamation26, the professor pulled forward the lever that generated the gas and set working the gravity neutralizer27, which would enable the ship to rise.
Faster through the water went the Mermaid, and faster after her came the whale. Above the hum of the engines was heard the hiss28 of the powerful gas. The ship trembled more violently.
The boys could feel the craft lifting from the waves which clung to her as if they hated to lose her. The boys knew the gas was beginning to operate.
“If it is not too late!” whispered Mark, half to himself.
For the monster of the seas was coming on, lashing30 the water to foam31 with his terrible flukes, and sending aloft a bloody32 spray. His speed was awful.
Now he was but ten feet away from the fleeing craft—now but eight—now five! Ten seconds more and the big head, like the blunt stern of a battle ship, forced forward by the tons of blubber, flesh, bone and fat behind it would strike the Mermaid and crush it like an egg shell.
Now if ever was the need for the Flying Mermaid to prove herself worthy33 of the name. Now, if ever, was the time for her to leave the watery34 element and take to the lighter35 one.
And she did. With a last tremble, as if to free herself from the hold of the waves, the gallant36 craft soared up into the air, leaving the water, which dripped from her keel like a fountain’s spray, and shooting aloft like a bird, escaped her terrible enemy which passed under her, so close that the lower part of the Flying Mermaid scraped the whale’s back.
“Saved!” exclaimed the professor.
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1
mermaid
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| n.美人鱼 | |
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2
vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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3
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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4
conning
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| v.诈骗，哄骗( con的现在分词 )；指挥操舵( conn的现在分词 ) | |
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5
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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7
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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8
revolves
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| v.（使）旋转( revolve的第三人称单数 )；细想 | |
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9
aluminum
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| n.(aluminium)铝 | |
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10
holder
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| n.持有者，占有者；(台，架等)支持物 | |
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11
eastward
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| adv.向东；adj.向东的；n.东方，东部 | |
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12
prospect
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| n.前景，前途；景色，视野 | |
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13
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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14
bunk
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| n.(车、船等倚壁而设的)铺位；废话 | |
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15
cylinder
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| n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸 | |
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16
disturbance
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| n.动乱，骚动；打扰，干扰；(身心)失调 | |
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17
momentum
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| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
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18
loomed
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| v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的过去式和过去分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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19
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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20
deflected
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| 偏离的 | |
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21
veered
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| v.（尤指交通工具）改变方向或路线( veer的过去式和过去分词 )；（指谈话内容、人的行为或观点）突然改变；（指风） （在北半球按顺时针方向、在南半球按逆时针方向）逐渐转向；风向顺时针转 | |
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plumb
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| adv.精确地，完全地；v.了解意义，测水深 | |
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ruffle
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| v.弄皱，弄乱；激怒，扰乱；n.褶裥饰边 | |
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24
spouted
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| adj.装有嘴的v.（指液体）喷出( spout的过去式和过去分词 )；滔滔不绝地讲；喋喋不休地说；喷水 | |
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25
tinged
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| v.（使）发丁丁声( ting的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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exclamation
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| n.感叹号，惊呼，惊叹词 | |
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27
neutralizer
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| n.中和剂，中和器 | |
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28
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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29
gage
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| n.标准尺寸，规格；量规，量表 [=gauge] | |
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30
lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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31
foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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32
bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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33
worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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34
watery
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| adj.有水的，水汪汪的；湿的，湿润的 | |
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35
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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36
gallant
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| adj.英勇的，豪侠的；(向女人)献殷勤的 | |
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