Through Space to Mars by Roy Rockwood (great novels to read .TXT) 📕

“Something’s happened to the motor!” exclaimed Jack. “Maybe it’s

going too fast! Come on!”

They ran to the engine-room. The sight that met their eyes was a

startling one.

Standing with his back to them was a strange man. Over his head

he was swinging a sledge hammer, which he brought down with great

force upon the Etherium motor.

“I’ll smash it! I’ll stop this machine! I’ll send us all to the

bottom of the universe!” the man was muttering.

“Quit that!” cried Jack, springing forward.

The man paused and turned.

“The crazy machinist!” shouted Jack. “Hell break the engine all

to pieces!”

“That’s what I will!” replied the infuriated man. “I’ll end this

voyage now!”

Once more he brought his hammer down on the machine, and the

motor, with a hissing of gas and a shower of sparks, stopped

working.

Jack and Mark were brave lads. They sprang upon the man, though

he was large and strong, and his strength was added to by his

insane fury.

In an instant they were in the midst of a fierce fight. The

maniac tossed them aside as if they were mere infants, but they

returned to the attack. They sought to hold his arms to prevent

him from doing any further damage with the hammer. Fortunately

for the lads, the man was forced to drop the weapon, to enable

him to grapple with his two assailants.

“Can you hold him?” cried Mark.

“Not very well,” panted Jack, as his grip of the man’s arms was

broken and he was flung across the room.

“Help! Help!” suddenly cried Mark. “The crazy machinist is

here!”

Washington and Andy, in the living-room, heard the yells of the

boys. They rushed to the scene, and, taking in the situation at

a glance, flung themselves upon the unfortunate man, aiding the

boys in holding him.

Even their strength was not sufficient, and it was not until Mr.

Roumann, leaving Professor Henderson in charge of the pilot

house, had come up, that they were able to secure the maniac.

He was quickly bound with ropes, and placed in the storeroom as a

prisoner, while the German turned his whole attention to the

motor, a part of which had been broken. Once more the Annihilator

had ceased to advance, and was falling through space.

“Can you fix it?” anxiously asked Jack, who was panting from the

terrible struggle.

“Yes,” replied Mr. Roumann. “Fortunately he did not smash a

vital part. I will soon have it running again.”

In less than half an hour the motor was repaired, and was

speeding the projectile on its way. It was not set at the

greatest power, however, as Mr. Roumann did not want to put too

much strain upon it.

“Now I have time to inquire how it happened,” he said to the

boys. “Tell me about it.”

They related how they had come upon the crazy machinist.

“Then he has been hidden on board all the while,” commented the

German. “I was not mistaken in thinking some one opened that

port after I closed it. He sneaked in here the night before we

started, and has been waiting his chance to do us some damage.

It was he who smashed the plates.”

“But where could he have concealed himself?” asked Jack.

“I don’t know. We’ll see if he will tell us.”

They went to the storeroom, where the maniac was bound.

“Why did you try to damage my machinery?” asked Mr. Roumann.

“Because it is an infringement on my patent,” was the surprising

answer. “I invented a perpetual motion machine, for making dog

biscuits, and you have used it to make your airship go.

Therefore I smashed it. I have the sole right to make dog

biscuits for the king of the cannibal islands. I’m his private

secretary.”

“He is hopelessly insane,” murmured Jack.

“I fear so,” agreed Mr. Roumann. Then he asked: “Where have you

been hiding?”

“Ah, I fooled you, all right,” said the man with a cunning laugh.

“It was just like a game of hide and seek to watch you hunting

for me, and me looking at you all the while. Ha, ha! Oh, I had

a good place.”

“Where was it?” asked Mr. Roumann soothingly.

“Right up there,” answered the machinist, pointing to the roof of

the storeroom. The German made an investigation, and discovered

a small compartment where it had been intended to make a port,

but the idea for which had not been carried out. This left a

space in the wall of the projectile, large enough for a man to

conceal himself in. No one would suspect he was there.

“I sneaked on board one night,” went on the man. “I managed to

open a port into the storeroom. And I lived high, I can tell

you.”

“Golly! He’s been at mah kitchen stuff!” exclaimed Washington.

“Did that other man come aboard with you?” asked Jack. He

referred to the tramp who had peered in the window of the

professor’s house.

“No. He’s been elected King of France,” was the answer. “He had

to go over there to get his crown fitted on. I’m all alone here.

A few minutes more and I would have smashed that engine.”

“I guess you would,” responded Mr. Roumann. “Well, we’ll take

good care that you do not get loose again.”

The bonds of the maniac were made more secure, and Washington

White was told to keep, close watch over him.

It was the day after this occurrence, though Jack and Mark had

not gotten over talking about it, that they were in the pilot

house with Professor Henderson. The projectile was speeding

along rapidly, and from calculations that had been made it was

believed they would arrive at Mars in about two days.

“I’ll be glad of it,” said Jack. “I want a chance to stretch my

legs.”

“And grow lighter,” added Mark. “You’re fatter than ever since

you began this trip.”

“That’s because I don’t have any exercise. But I’ll make up for

it. I understand that on Mars one can jump twice as far as he

can on the earth, due to the less dense atmosphere.”

“Well, we’ll soon see,” said Mark.

Mr. Henderson suddenly bent over one of the indicators. He

pressed a lever, turned a wheel, and then exclaimed:

“The Etherium motor has stopped working ‘again! I wonder if the

maniac is loose!”

“We’ll see!” cried Jack, as he and Mark hurried toward the

engine-room. They found Mr. Roumann there.

“The motor has stopped!” exclaimed Jack.

“I know it.”

“Has there been an accident?”

“No.”

“What’s the matter, then?”

“We have completed our journey through the ether. The motor will

only work in that.”

“And that means—” began Mark.

“That we have reached the atmosphere of Mars!” exclaimed Mr.

Roumann in triumph.