On came the whale. Every moment seemed to increase the terrific speed of the maddened animal. Frantically the boys labored to get out of the way, but it was almost impossible until the air-propellers should start, and send the Comet skimming over the surface.
“Have you the water-screw going?” called Jerry to Ned.
“Yes, and it’s speeded up as high as it will go! Can’t you get that motor started?”
“Can’t seem to.”
“Hurry! Hurry!” yelled Bob. “She’ll ram us in another second or two!”
“We’ll be destroyed if she does!” muttered Professor Snodgrass. “Oh, my precious collection! My valuable specimens! What shall I do?”
He rushed here and there, trying to gather all his boxes in one pile, and then to take them under his arms, but they continually fell out.
“It’s no use!” cried Jerry, at length. “I can’t get this motor started. Get ready to jump, when the whale hits us! Grab life-preservers—make for the wreck and cling to that, for there’ll be nothing left of the Comet!”
He abandoned his attempt at the air-propeller motor. The water-screw was sending the craft ahead at fairly good speed, but nothing to the progress made by the whale. She was almost upon them.
The boys made ready to jump, preparing to abandon their beloved craft, when a curious thing happened. In front of the oncoming whale was a big mound of green water, piled up by the enormous blunt head of the leviathan, just as in front of some blunt-nosed scow there is a wave. In this case, such was the speed of the animal, that the wave actually hid the big head from sight.
And it was this advancing wall of water which saved the lives of our friends and prevented the destruction of the motorship. For, so light and buoyant was the craft, that as the swell of the mound of water, which was in front of the whale, reached the Comet, she was lifted up like a chip on the crest of a billow.
Up and up she went, higher and higher on the swell, until in the excess of her fury, the whale brought about the very opposite to that which she intended, for, instead of ramming the strange craft, she passed completely under it, harmlessly.
For a few seconds the boys and the professor could not realize their marvellous escape. Then they understood, and uttered a cheer of congratulation.
“She’s passed under us!” cried Jerry.
“There she is, away over there!” shouted Bob, pointing to where the whale’s progress could be observed by the mound of water.
“She’ll be back as soon as she realizes her mistake,” predicted Ned, and, even at that moment, the big creature began to turn, ready to return to the attack. But now, most unexpectedly, as Jerry rushed back to the starting lever of the main motor, the machine worked like a charm. There was a hum and a buzz, the propellers whirred around, and, skimming lightly over the surface of the ocean, the Comet suddenly arose, and shot into the air. And not a moment too soon, either, for, as her hydroplanes left the surface, dripping salty drops, the whale passed under again, one plane scraping her scale-covered back.
“Safe!” cried Jerry, and there was a breath of relief from all on board.
“Look!” yelled Ned, pointing down. “The whale and the shark are fighting!”
The two monsters of the deep were in a battle to the death, the whale seeking to kill the gigantic shark by a blow from her tail, and the sea-tiger trying to bite the leviathan as it had the baby whale. How the battle terminated, the boys could not determine, as their swiftly-moving craft took them beyond the scene. Once more they were sailing the air.
“And I didn’t get my singing-fish, after all,” sighed Mr. Snodgrass.
“We were lucky to get off with our lives,” remarked Jerry. “But you’ll have another chance for your prize, professor.”
It soon got dark, and once more, with her searchlight aglow, the Comet sped on through the night. As before, the boys took turns looking for any strange lights which might indicate the balloon of which they were in search. But morning came with no sign of her.
It was a calm day, and, after travelling for some miles in the new direction, and seeing nothing, Jerry yielded to the requests of the scientist, and again let the craft float on the hydroplanes.
“For we are now over the region where I expect to find the singing-fish,” said the professor, “and it would be a pity not to try to get it.”
The boys thought so, too, and though they were anxious to keep on with their quest, they could not refuse to give the professor a little time. He used his net for several hours, bringing up many strange creatures of the sea. Some of these he kept for himself, or for brother scientists, but the odd fish was not among them.
Jerry was about to tell Mr. Snodgrass that they could not spare more time, when the scientist, who had his net overboard, suddenly called:
“Oh, boys, I’ve got something big! Help me pull it in!” He was laboring at the rope, and evidently something was in the net, for there was a turmoil in the water, and the professor nearly went overboard.
“Quick! Help him!” yelled Jerry.
Bob and Ned sprang to the aid of the little man, and, by a strong pull, had the net on deck. It contained but one fish, a large one, that flopped violently about the deck, as if in protest at the treatment it had received.
But, at the sight of it, and of two fins that looked something like wings, the professor uttered a joyful shout.
“It’s the singing-fish! The singing flying-fish!” he cried. “At last I have caught it! Listen!”
Hardly had he ceased speaking, than the queer fish opened its mouth, and there came forth something between a whine and a low groan. It was anything but singing, but to the professor, this was evidently to be preferred to the sweetest music.
“Hear it sing! Hear it sing!” he cried. “You boys will be witness to it, for I’m afraid I can’t keep so large a fish alive until we get home. But it sang; didn’t it?”
“Yes; if you call that singing,” remarked Bob in a low voice. “I’ve heard catfish do the same thing.” In fact, the noise made by the odd fish was not unlike the sound a catfish, or bullhead, makes when caught. But the professor was satisfied.
“Help me get him into a tank of water, until I make some notes about him while he is still alive,” the scientist begged, and the boys aided him. He was engaged in making copious notes about his prize, and Jerry was sending the Comet up into the air, when Bob, who was in the bow, looking upward, pointed at some object, and cried out:
“The balloon! The Manhattan! There she is, boys! There is what we’ve been looking for so long!”