第32章

WHERE IS IT?

"Down on your faces!" called Tom to those with him in the cabin."Lie down, every one! The freshest air is near the floor; the bad air rises, being lighter with carbonic acid.Lie down!"All obeyed, Tom following the advice he himself gave.It was a little easier to breathe, lying on the tilted cabin floor, but how long could this be kept up? That was a question each one asked himself.

"Is every bit of our reserve air used?" asked Tom, speaking to Earle."As far as I can learn, yes, sir.If I had known that the auxiliary tankwas empty I wouldn't have ordered the compressed air motor used.But I didn't know.""No one is to blame," said Tom in a low voice."It is one of the accidents that could not be foreseen.If there is any blame it attaches to me for not installing the gyroscope rudder.If we had had that when we were caught in the cross current, or the whirlpool swirl, our equilibrium would have been automatically maintained.As it is--"He did not finish, but they all knew what he meant.

"Bless my soda fountain, Tom!" murmured Mr.Damon, "but isn't there any way of getting fresh air?""None without rising to the top," Tom answered."We'll have to try that.Come with me to the engine room, Mr.Earle.It may be possible we can pull her loose."They started to crawl on their hands and knees, to take advantage of the purer air at the floor level.The situation of the M.N.1 was exactly the same as it had been when she ran into the mud bank in the river, with the exception that now she was in graver danger, for the supply of air for breathing was almost exhausted.

Reaching the engine room, where he found the crew lying down to take advantage of the better air near the floor, Tom made a hasty examination of the apparatus.There was still plenty of power left in the storage batteries, but, so far, the motors they operated had not been able topull the craft loose from where her nose was stuck fast."Are the tanks completely emptied?" asked Tom.

"As nearly so as we could manage with the pumps not acting to their full capacity," answered Earle."If we could turn the craft on a more level keel we might empty them further, and then her natural buoyancy would send her up.""Then that's the thing to try to do!" exclaimed Tom, his head beginning to feel the heaviness due to the impure air."We'll move every stationary object over to the port side, and we'll all stand there, or lie there, ourselves.That may heel her over, and help loosen the grip of the sand.""It's worth trying," said Earle."Get ready, men!" he called to the crew.

Tom crawled back to the main cabin and told Mr.Damon and the others what was to be attempted.

"Koku, you come and help move things," requested Tom.

"Me move anything!" boasted the giant, who, because of his great strength and reserve power did not seem as greatly affected as were the others.

Going back to the engine room with Koku, Tom assisted, as well as he could, in the shifting of pieces of apparatus, stores and other things that were movable.They all worked at a great disadvantage except Koku, and he did not seem to feel the lack of vitalizing air.

One thing after another was shifted, and still the M.N.1 maintained the dangerous angle.

"It isn't going to work!" gasped Tom, as he noticed the indicator which told to what angle the craft was still off an even keel."We'll have to try something else.""Is there anything to try?" asked Earle, in a faint voice.He was on the point of fainting for lack of air.

Tom looked desperately around.There was one piece of heavy machinery that might be moved to the other side of the engine room.It was bolted to the floor, but its added weight, with that of the crew and passengers, together with what had already been shifted, might turn the trick.

"Let's try to move that!" said Tom faintly, pointing to it.

"It will take an hour to unbolt it," said one of the men.

"Koku!" gasped Tom, pointing to the heavy apparatus."See if-- see if you--"Tom's breath failed him, and he sank down in a heap.But he had managed to make the giant understand what was wanted.