Chapter TWENTY-TWO

Out of the realm of his recent adventures Howard Redmond stepped ashore in Pearl Harbor from the captain’s gig of the cruiser Farragut. With him came Captain Moore who had refrained from notifying the officials of Redmond’s rescue, fearing that the pirate might pick up the wireless message and so become aware of the fact that the location of his base had been discovered.

Dramatically inclined, Captain Moore seized the opportunity of presenting Redmond to the naval authorities in an effort to make it as effective an affair as possible. He personally led the man whom his crew had picked up on the Pacific Ocean into the office of Captain Smith, the naval commandant ashore. There, assuming a grandiloquent air, he announced in stentorian tones:

“Captain, here is the man who has just come direct from the pirate’s base.”

Pausing, he watched for several seconds with satisfied enjoyment the result produced by his announcement. He was just about to proceed in the development of the dramatic situation, when Redmond, with graver thoughts on his mind, broke in and said:

“What Captain Moore has told you, sir, is true, but before I tell you about it, will you please instruct your wireless operator to send the signal ‘QVT’ at the end of each sentence when he sends out his daily news bulletin, instead of the usual word ‘stop.’ This is very important, and I shall explain the reason to you when I tell you my story.”

Captain Smith, after a few perfunctionary questions, issued the necessary instructions to the operator in charge of the big wireless station at the naval base. He then sent for Commodore Heathcote, the commanding air officer of the Hawaiian district. When the latter arrived Redmond began his narrative. He told in detail again the story he had already related to Captain Moore. Then he said:

“The last time I saw Miss Ingleton I promised her that if I got away safely to Honolulu I would get the naval station to send out the ‘QVT’ signal, so that she would know that I had arrived. That’s the reason I asked you to do it. Levanter has a wireless receiving station on the island and, knowing that Miss Ingleton has always been interested in wireless, has permitted her to listen in each day in order to help her pass the time away. You see, there is no sending station connected with it, and he knew she could not send out any message that would endanger his security. Therefore as soon as she gets the ‘QVT’ signed she will know that help will be coming to her very soon.”

“If that’s the case,” said Captain Smith, “you may rest assured she knows it already because the news schedule is on right now.”

“Is there anything you can tell us about the machine that Levanter is using?” interspersed Commodore Heathcote.

“I can tell you pretty well everything about it,” replied Redmond.

“Can you suggest any means to successfully attack him?”

“Well, you can judge for yourself after I have described his machine and his base,” continued Redmond. “I think it will be best if I tell you all about the conditions on the island. It’s part of the story that I didn’t tell Captain Moore, because I didn’t have time.

“In the first place I learned everything about his remarkable machine from Miss Ingleton and my own observation during the short time I was on it. Levanter was quite sure of his security and felt confident that she could not get away from him and with a feeling of pride occasionally told her some of the secrets of the airplane. He did this because, at my suggestion, she took a great deal of interest in his machine and asked him a lot of questions about it. Then she would tell me at different times when I met her at the rock all that he had told her.

“Just what he intends to do with Miss Ingleton I don’t know. He has not said a single thing to her that would indicate his intentions so far as I know, but she didn’t tell me very much regarding her relations with him. He takes her with him on his flights every time. He has insisted on that, but on the island, from what she has told me, he does not attempt to molest her, or coerce her in any way. He is in fact extremely courteous to her, and she is free to move about as she pleases to any part of the island.

“Now, as far as the machine is concerned, it is designed in such a manner that it can be flown at extremely high altitudes without any dangerous effect upon the crew who are fully protected within the cabin. The body is absolutely watertight and is strong enough to withstand external or internal pressure to a very high degree. In fact the strength of its plates affords armor protection against normal attack. It is provided with collapsible wings. When these are folded up and all the doors secured the machine automatically becomes a submarine. It has compensating tanks inside that can be filled with water to enable it to remain below the sea without moving.

“When leaving the air and plunging into the sea it goes under in the same manner as the diving type of submarine, and the tail surfaces act as fins, as does also the small projection formed by the folded wings. Once beneath the sea, its compensating tanks permit it to remain submerged in a stationary position, in the same manner as an actual submersible. It is equipped with a telescoping periscope that can be ejected from the forward gunpit.

“The real secret of the machine, however, is in the design of the engine. It is used for flying, surface cruising, or propelling the machine under the water. This engine is Levanter’s own invention and was built to his special design by the men with him, in a secret workshop. He employs liquid oxygen for fuel, utilizing the expansive force of the liquid gas when it is released from its vacuum container. After the gas has gone through the engine and has been transformed from a liquid into a gaseous state it is then used for breathing purposes in the cabin, whenever the machine is at unusually high altitudes, or beneath the surface of the sea. This explains the reason why we were able to breathe without difficulty while flying at an altitude of 35,000 feet. It also accounts for the manner in which the pirate was able to keep beneath the surface of the ocean after his fight with Commander Fitzgerald, which Miss Ingleton described to me in a very thrilling manner.

“The engine is located right inside the cabin, near the controls. Its power is transmitted to the propellers by means of gears and is applied through a clutch. By the movement of a lever this clutch can be disengaged, and the power applied to the marine screw at the end of the cabin. The marine screw is used for cruising purposes, either on the water or beneath the sea.

“Those are the general features of the machine itself. It is highly efficient in design, and particularly so in its power. That is the reason he can get such tremendous speed out of it. Miss Ingleton told me he had boasted to her that in one test flight over a measured course, running both against the wind and with the wind, the machine had averaged a speed of 350 miles an hour. Apparently it is only the strong construction of the airplane that permits it to withstand the tremendous pressure at such a terrific speed. The cabin, being airtight, relieves the crew from any ill effects that might result from the rush of air at that speed, while the oxygen from the engine enables them to breathe normally.”

As Redmond paused a moment in his description, Commodore Heathcote broke in and asked:

“But how does he get the liquid oxygen for his machine?”

“I was just coming to that,” answered Redmond. “Of course, you must understand that nearly all of this information I got second hand through Miss Ingleton. She obtained it from Levanter by asking him questions whenever she caught him in a boasting mood. The whole story of his career on the island as I got it from her is practically this:

“He came to Honolulu with his machine boxed up in parts. There he bought the schooner Hilo and shipped its Kanaka crew. Apparently he had already chosen Patrocinio Island from the map, and the schooner had sailed there. The island is about five miles long and approximately two miles wide. As soon as he arrived he made a survey of the island and decided it was suitable for his purpose. After he had sailed the schooner inside the coral reef that makes a natural breakwater for the harbor he got the Kanakas to rig up some tents ashore, and then had them carry the packing cases on to the beach. When this has been done, he put them to work, building the permanent log houses. At the first opportunity during night time he and his crew ran the Hilo ashore and scuttled her there, so the Kanakas could not leave the island. They also stove in the lifeboat which I used.

“While the Kanakas were building the houses, Levanter and his crew were assembling their airplane. Among the equipment they brought with them was a complete distilling apparatus designed by Levanter. This was put up in one of the houses. By his own process Levanter obtains alcohol from the grass and other vegetation on the island. He used the alcohol as fuel to produce electrical power for the chemical process that is necessary for extracting the oxygen and later liquefying it.

“One of the two big buildings is devoted entirely to this apparatus. In fact it is quite a laboratory. The tool and repair plant are also located in that house. The other house is used for living purposes, and the Kanakas live in the hut where we stowed the baggage that he takes from the airships he shoots down.

“His condensing apparatus for the extraction and liquefaction of oxygen is very remarkable and complete. Miss Ingleton had seen it in operation, but she could not describe it to me very well. He obtains his oxygen by means of the fractional distillation of liquid air. In this connection he has a very remarkable cannon on his airplane. Instead of using the ordinary high explosive, he utilizes liquid oxygen with powdered charcoal, which gives far greater explosive force. His shells are really vacuum containers for the liquid gas, and with the aid of a very peculiar detonator he breaks down the vacuum and fires the charge at the same time.

“Of course he is very sparing with his ammunition because he has to make all he needs on the island. When he came there he brought a considerable amount of metal suitable for the manufacture of his vacuum containers, and one of the first things that he did was to construct a large number of small but highly powerful mines that are filled with the liquid gas. These have been submerged around the entrance to the harbor.

“From each airship that he attacked, he has obtained as much metal as he could get, and with it has constructed more mines, until now he has practically encircled the island with them. This leaves him pretty nearly secure from any surprise attack on the island by naval vessels. The vacuum containers he uses to carry fuel for his engine serve their purpose continuously and do not have to be renewed. That is pretty well all I know about his equipment.

“He treats the Kanakas very well, and his men have trained them to do a great deal of the routine work connected with the laboratory. They do not know the game Levanter is playing, but think that he is engaged in some great and important task, and their child-like vanity is tickled at the work he gives them to do. When they asked him about the schooner Levanter told them it was wrecked in a storm. He told them he could get another to take them off the island when he had finished his work there. In fact he has trained them so well that he leaves them on the island when he goes out on his flights, without any fear that they will damage any of his equipment. He has chosen one of them to act as chief and he tells this man just what he wants the Kanakas to do while he is away, and they do it.”

As he reached the end of his description, Redmond uttered a sigh of relief and settled back in his chair. It was only a momentary rest, however, as Captain Smith immediately asked:

“Where does Miss Ingleton live on the island?”

“In the same house with Levanter and his crew,” replied Redmond. “They have partitioned off a room for her, and Levanter sees that she has everything she needs. One of the trunks which they took from the Wilbur Wright was found to contain feminine apparel, and they have turned this over to her, and so far as I know she is not in want of anything. One of the crew spoke insolently to her once, and Levanter happened to overhear him. A great fight followed, Miss Ingleton told me, and the man has been very civil to her ever since.”

“Did she ever tell you about her flight at the time of the battle with Commander Fitzgerald?” inquired Captain Smith.

Before Redmond could reply, Arthur Ingleton arrived at Captain Smith’s office. The latter had sent for him, knowing well that the former Secretary of the Navy would be interested to hear first hand information about his missing daughter. Ingleton came in just at the moment Redmond was about to answer Captain Smith’s question. After mutual introductions, Redmond continued:

“Yes! she did describe that to me. She told a very interesting story about her experience. She didn’t know the airplane could be turned into a submarine and consequently it was a very thrilling adventure to her, although it almost gave her heart failure.

“She told me that she was very apprehensive the morning Levanter set out. She had been on the machine the previous day when Commander Fitzgerald’s squadron appeared and opened fire upon Levanter. The latter had told her of his intention to go out the next day and meet Fitzgerald and fight it out with him. He insisted that she accompany him on the flight.

“‘I implored him to let me stay behind on the island,’ she told me, but he said to her, ‘You don’t want me to leave you behind here unprotected with these Kanakas, do you? Suppose we didn’t come back! What would you do then, alone here with the natives?’

“She tried to persuade him again, she said, but it was in vain. He compelled her to go with him. She was very excited and apprehensive, particularly when Fitzgerald’s squadron was observed coming out of the northwestern skies. As soon as the machines of the squadron were close to them, she told me, Levanter came over to her and said:

“‘Mary, I want you to go outside the gunpit and wave to Fitzgerald.’

“‘Oh! you can’t be so cruel as that,’ she said she replied.

“‘You must do as I tell you,’ he said with a savage glint in his eyes.

“‘There was nothing else but to do what he told me,’ she said.

“According to her story she went out and waved to the other airplanes. She did not know which was the one Fitzgerald was in, and she couldn’t see any signs of a response from any of them. After a while Levanter told her to come back inside.

“She did this willingly enough, she said, because she was very scared. It was not long before she heard the firing from the other ships. There was no sound from the guns on Levanter’s machine. This was because he was using liquid oxygen explosive.

“It was then that she experienced the reactions which she told me about. I shall try to repeat her words as nearly as I can:

“‘My heart was beating terribly,’ she said, ‘and I was so frightened that I just simply shivered on the seat inside the cabin. After a long, long time I felt the machine go into a giddy dive, and my heart went into my mouth. I could bear the suspense no longer. I went to the window and looked out. The sea seemed to be coming right up to us. It looked as though we were falling into it.

“‘After a while the airplane straightened out, just when it seemed as though we were about to plunge into the sea. The other airplanes were coming after us, firing their guns all the time. It was really horrible, and I was in perfect terror. A little later there was a dull heavy sound when one of the shells struck our airplane and made it shake violently. As I looked horror-stricken through the window our machine went right into the sea.

“‘At that moment I experienced the most terrible feeling I ever knew. A hundred thoughts passed through my mind so quickly I couldn’t realize what they were all about. Suddenly something told me I was about to die. The thought chilled me with horror, and I fell off the seat in a dead swoon.

“‘How long I was unconscious I don’t know, but when I opened my eyes again the horror of it all passed through my mind very rapidly. I looked around with fear. I couldn’t see a thing. It was inky black all around me. I lifted my hand in front of my eyes but couldn’t see it. Then I felt around me to find where I was. Suddenly a terrible thought passed through my mind and I cried aloud in absolute terror:

“‘Good heavens! I’m blind! where am I?’

“‘A terrible harsh voice near me replied:

“‘‘Don’t make a noise, you’re alright. You’re not blind. Keep still, and you’ll be alright in a few minutes.’

“‘Where am I? Where am I?’ I cried.

“‘‘Shut up, will you!’ was all the answer I got.

“‘The time that I lay petrified with fear seemed like ages. I didn’t know what was the matter, and the man who spoke to me had such a rough voice that I didn’t dare speak again. I was afraid to move or try to get up from where I was lying, although it was very painful on the hard floor, because I didn’t know but what I might fall down in the darkness.

“‘After a long, long time, a faint greenish light began to come, wherefrom I couldn’t tell. It increased very quickly, and I looked around to find that I was still in the cabin of Levanter’s airplane. I couldn’t understand it at all. In a very short time everything was quite normal again, with as much light as we ever had there.

“‘Joe Levanter was sitting at the controls, and the other men were at their stations. They didn’t look at all concerned. I got up slowly. I was aching terribly from the fall and the hard floor. How long I had been lying there I don’t know, and Levanter never told me.

“‘I walked over painfully to the window and looked out. The airplane was on the surface of the sea, but I couldn’t see its wings. There wasn’t another vessel or airplane in sight. While I was looking Levanter said to one of the men:

“‘‘Go outside and see where the shot hit us, also how much damage it has done. I think it must have hit one of the wings.’

“‘The man opened the cabin door and went out. He was gone quite a while. When he came back he said:

“‘‘It hit us on the starboard wing and it has buckled one of the plates. You’d better open up the wings and see whether they are alright.’

“‘Levanter pulled a lever, and I saw the wings shoot out from the sides of the airplane, then I heard a loud snapping sound, and they became rigid.

“‘The man who made the examination went outside again and walked over the right wing. He got down on his knees near the end of the wing and examined it very carefully. From the window I could see a big dent where he was stooping down. That must have been where the shell struck the wing. After a while the man returned inside the cabin and said to Levanter:

“‘‘It has made a very nasty dent in the plates but it hasn’t done any material damage. The wing is not seriously injured, and I think it will hold up alright!’ There was some more conversation, and in a little while Levanter opened up the engine and took off. After three hours flying we were back at the island again.’”

Redmond paused a moment and looked around, then he added:

“That was about the gist of the story she told me.”