AN UNPREMEDITATED FLIGHT.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 62

AN UNPREMEDITATED FLIGHT.

/ ■ " ■— -r — * "" " J. Br Wainto.

- FIRST PRIZE. — \- "'. " ' " ■ CHArTEBf I. __ , • ;,' . y-V " ~^l ■', •'- ".'-' '\ ' : ' Vestport/Ap'ril 1 &YaM. • / r - v -Dear Martin,— l have struck 'a real!y"..'gobd !J&ing-^~sTuieiri^^lftfm;O«-!*;jave! J &ing-^~sTuieiri^^lftfm;O«-!*;javer > liefß.l ' It r -'TheloFgi}. to - «m v oW .miner,,- wheT :K«B;.^p>rted: t?*r*Wi^Ti.t >on -.condition' -that hie -tehall "Ihave- Jew ."ienrtn in-:fhe concern- if |we 'nmnige'^to /jjet v» jdrifdge to^-wx^ifk. „ , •" -\." . ./ c lV..j ." 1 '■■_ At -present tliere arp "three of us taking »' : lutnd. Dp you feel inclined to' join? 'If co, -take a run' across and judge for yourself.- Com© by Tuesday's coach. I' will meet you -balfs»«y, and talk over the affair.'— Yours, etc., • ' ■' ' John Mtjnbo. P.S.— The "wash" looks Al. - . 'How this, letter twined my thoughts into - ifce'pfast,- and I began to think of the many -. £>arts Jack had played in my life. We had -.grown up together ; gone as boys to 1 the same school, and a great friendship had always existed between us. What a splendid -fellow he was, always |«ady to do anyone a -good turn. ' Possessed of * comfortable income, he .had never fettled in "one place, .but drifted about, l>rying~- first one thing 'and then another'; continually rushing off on some wild-goose chase, v generally "an ' unprospected claim, jWhich in his opinion was positive to turn out millions, but somehow %ben -prospected •lways proved a "duffer. 1 ' - Therefore, it was not the first time~ an urgent message of this sort had reached me, and- I was" beginning' to 'be.Tathet cliaryof taking jart in any new. venture.' However, the least I could do was to^in acirosp.; -it Nwouldjipleaserjiim^andnt "woirid:--certainly-be. a delightful trip:*: ;..-'" '."-:'[-' .^-WJiaJb a "man -he was! "I'coulA not help, .thinkjing of his many fancies. One .-among.; Jus 'ambitions had .been-pto^invent: {•vflying machine r -,v-fle'"&^-,Miade' v a 'rpnglj-,; 'anodel, ahti had gone so far.a^t"o-ex^rgicj> a yjgXHnise^ fronv me, to; do. the' experimenting] It. • ~ ,• ■ "'',-." I , How long ago it seemed, and nowihis thoughts were full of dredging claims ,and. the floating of companies. ' Perhaps just as well, 'as I had -no desire, to risk my lifein- any mad venture. Well^ I oiused, I should soon meet him now, •;„ It. would be - good to. see "his face -again" and feel the clasp of his hand afterlet line see — how^ many years?* - "Why, •Martin, whet .a brick you are, 1 feel as- if a. ton weight were lifted off my brain. Really, I could give three cheers for Martin Sinclair,' who is always ready to help a friend ; for if ever I wanted you in my life, I do now." It was thus that Jack greeted me, and HhT ■surprise that I should be there worried me. Why did he, make so much of it, when it had ell been cut and dried beforehand? He 'had even; kept to- his part of the programme, and met me half-way. I looked at Aim inquiringly, but before I had time to •ay a word lie caught my hand and dragged me forward. . I could' barely recognise my old iriend in the exciteable man before me. t "Come," he cried, "time waits" ; and still wringing my hand he drew me towards the inn at which the coach had stopped. I began to shiver, .though the heat was Intepse, -and .some. feeting for which I was ■nabie to. -account madenne. horribly anxious. '' Jack's.^ manner was so extraordinary -that I was puzzled 4b know ;what was going to happeii next. . With a great air of -*ecreeyuhe v dte.w me^to^a placed in, the shade of a.huge' pinus insignu?. , I obeyed laconically;- *At "the same time jny< thoughts were running on gold and' dredgeiL ./Whet a claim at must he if it could work anyone,', even as 'excitable as Jack, into such a frenzied condition. I turned to him, pretending, .indifference, hoping/ to quieten him..- ■ , -""- "I have news- for you,-"-- he begaa in a hurried whispeiv "Would you belisve it, KTartin, I have invented a flying machine — a flying machine. Do you hear, old man? I did not intend .to tell you of it until you had had lunch, but I could not restrain myself. I have sent for j-ou to try it— you gave me, a solemn 'promise, you know, Jn the days pfauld lang syne." ■> Well, here was a pretty kettle of fish. I stared at Jack in a state of stupefaction. Did I' hear aright? Did he really say something about a flying machine, and that I had to test it? Surely either he or I was going mad. t drew myself together sharply> and tried to think that it was a dream ; but no ! Jack had begun to open a small black box, with a tremendous amount of wire packed away inside, and then— well, I gave myself up lor lost. ' "You see this ; little box, 1 " he said. "It contains eyerythiifg-^everything, I tell you, »nd when'-ybu- have the tabloids in your pocket, and this signalling machine, which I will presently explain to you, you may not wish to return for months — months. I Bay. Listen ! The machine must work ; there is no such word as failure in connection with it." I looked at Jack in amazement. Confound the^fellow : what audacity to imagine that I. ju3l starting on a promising career, could leave my business for an indefinite period, with no more preparation than a f&W. ff > '1"t J t' .J>\O.tdCfi. TYift maiy mwrt. |je_

mad ; and yet, looking at -him critically, he gave no sign of it. - Perhaps I should suggest that, as he understood the thing so' thoroughly, he had better try- the experiment himself. But glancing at his oft 2in I knew it was beyond the reach of possibility. In order to gain, time I stooped and picked up a small round box marked "Sustaining Tabloids." ; j -/'What 'do- these contain":" I queried, hold- :: .ing pne,ouVfor his inspection. - , \'"Aprescription'of my own," he answered ; :: r V( estract v o£''beei' ; iron, etc.-' One of "those i will .sustain you_for — for'-an- indefinite .time*. ' _»' -X-'<triecL .two . of . them myself a . week ago, \ ;andjiave'jhad. barely, anything since, except, - p«^ap^^WwTiis^y : and'Spdft"nbw^H"d then:" I looked at him pityingly.. , Poor fellow, ' no -wonder he had worked himself into this state. "" , "This . machine," Jack broke in on my musings, -"is, an improvement on Marconi's system of wireless telegraphy, but it is unlike his in one important respect. You can transmit a message in 10 seconds from anywhere to .anywhere ; no need whatever for receivers and poles. The system is perfect. I see you doubt my word ; but try it, I, say, try it." His/eyes neve.r left my face. It pained me .to see their wild and anxious, look; his manner was so unlike the Tack that I remembered in days gone by. "Now, tell me when you will be ready to start," he begam. "I will not rest until I see you well on your journey. Do you realise what it. may mean? Oiu fortunes will be made. The invention has cost me thousands — thousands, do you hear?-*- so do not shatter my hopes by refusing. You will go to-day?" His voice had grown husky with emotion. 'Hef 'caught my arm and pointed to the sky. :l -."Xojj'-.a clouds to-, be .-seen, ■-Martin.-- _ Th#, . wrtreHisvinrburiavpur.^ , Every tiling isreaiSy., <^-''Borf9o'"sfert' J soon,' aiid put me -out.of jJn^jT misery." . -j> .- appealed to- me .in such heart-'iendinjfe^ones^-.thereywas but one course '.ler^^w^wM^.inevifcable^l'must^ive way; I'nodded.J9»y'^iead»-cfof -'just then my voice rather.^ unmanageable. <„ ■ Jack could not conceal the delight my decision gave him. Fortunately for me, we • then went in to lunch. What a meal that was. -; The, • conversation, much as I fought "against it, would constantly return to the one all-absorbing topic, and ' there get tangled up in a chaos"of strange terms, of "which I had never even heard before. Then a long string of parting injunctions, and we came out into" the glorious sunshine again. My, half four's, reprieve was over. Jack, still riding his hobby, stuffed my > pockets with all sorts of strange -appliances. Would I ever use them, I . wondered' dreamily. Perhaps, after all, the machine might refuse to move. < Jack's fever had by this time got -into my veins. I started hurriedly to buttonon the apparatus. It completely enveloped me, and if it were only a success, it would most certainly be the invention of the age. Even I, sceptic that I was, could not fail to see what an ingenious idea it was, and I began to hope that after all I might not be facing such fearful odds as I imagined. Small wings on my feet and head were connected with very much larger ones projecting from .my shoulders. The whole worked automatically, my hands remaining free. , The mechanism was little short of marvellous, the vhole thing weighing scarcely 10 pounds." s • j A^ last' everything seemed ready., Tyy^j Jack my hand, and he began a long, long speech about my great kindness — he would never forget dt-j never. And then I found I was beginning to -rise slowly from • the j ground. ' The higher I rose^ the .greater the speed became. I began to feel quite j dizzy. When I had got on a great impetus the usual thing happened. Jack remembered thai he had something important to say. He ran along shouting and waving his hands. I could only catch one word, which sounded like "oil.V How I rushed through space, ■ going in an easterly direction, and gradually upwards. There is no turning back now, I thought. I must go on till the bitter end ; the next few hours will decide everything. CHAr-TER 11. The time passed uneventfully ; after a while I noticed a dense fog was gathering below me — indeed, I could see nothing but a white- mantle of mist. I began to wonder how it would affect the machinery if heavy rain set in. After a time I glanced at the cyclometer, which Jack had fastened to my wrist, and found that I had travelled a little over 200 miles. My watch showed I had been travelling at the rate of 50 'miles an, hour. By Jove ! v after all this was an invention worth owning. Poor old Jack must have brains, though at the time of starting I had not given him credit for possessing over many. Every second that passed) gave me more confidence in the air motor. I began to feel as if I had renewed my youth, and gave myself up to the enjoyment of the hour. This aerial journey was an experience of a lifetime, the only drawback being its solitude. I longed to hear some noise — anything to break the great silence. Things seemed to be going well, when, without any warning, the wings attached t<? mv. rij*ht foot i&ye jut j£firkjjlflv &.

i kicked and struggled cautiously, but with- | out success. > , .Wants oil, I tfiought j and • : then I remembered Jack's agitation as I . ' was disappearing. He had evidently triedi ■< ' to tell me that the oil had been forgotten, i • Pool that I was ! How I wished now that I had made some attempt to go back. However, I still hoped to keep myself going with the other foot, and" if possible, gradually steer a downward course. But all my confidence was gone, and I felt j shaken and unnerved, every moment' jexthajt the- whole thing would fall- }" to .-pieces, like .the ' one-horse shay. An f hour passed, and -I was quite prepared,' ; when one of the', large wings attached to l.myVshoulder showed signs of giving out m; much the same, way, and ''then despair — blank despair — seized me. Almost at the same moment I found myself falling, it seemed to me, into the bowels of the earth. Would I ever reach the bottom of that downward flight? Long ere this I had given up all hope of ever I getting back to terra firma alive. Sud- | denly my course was arrested by a sharp j jar. When the stunned feeling had passed, I found myself caught on a narrow I had actually slipped down two hundred miles, and yet lived. Terribly shaken, and much bruised, but still alive ! I next surveyed my, surroundings. Below me yawned an abyss, black as night ; above me a perpendicular cliff, stretched aiway. into the clouds. Truly mine was a most terrible position ! What was Ito do?' I felt in my pocket, and found the tabloids were safe. An electric current rushed through my veins j as my fingers touched something else — no i other object tha» .the necessary machine j for signalling my fate to those above. I hurridly set it to work, and • in - about a minute the answer flashed back : "Toe late to-day, but we will see what T-can. -"be^-done r torlndrrowv — ,Eeep;'u'p your 'i courage,-rjand., remember the -tabloids." .-'] - TLVmdrrow.! : >WJi£,Vhalf: an-hotEp.' would -j -more than^likeiy-send^my, sufferings.-^' What "a fool I had been ; but it was no. good-thinking,of.'that-now. I ticked off' in most .forcible, language a demand for. immediate ; if - they* intended to send' "any*' ' • I seemed- to ddze for a. time;., when -an. idea struck me. I had not ' even told Jack 1 why it was I had come to grief. ' I seized my electric machine. My spirits rose oncp more as an answering ring came, much, to my "relief. I hastily signalled that it was oil the machine needed. "Everything is stiff," I ticked off, "and the wings won't work." "Press the button," came the answer, I "which holds the strap in place across 'your chest." - h- ■ My joy can be* better imagined than described. I lost no time in pushing the signalling machine in£o ■my pocket, and began pressing the button with all the strength I had left, u< very slowly <* and carefully, then faster and faster, as the machinery became more pliant. * Then, clenching my teeth, I hung on to the edge of the precipice for a moment, and [ launched forth into space. I j I sat up with a start, to find — well, that ' I was in my own room. I had actually j fallen asleep over my pipe. I