Chapter TWENTY-SEVEN

The day after Levanter had showed her through his manufacturing plant dawned fraught with grave possibilities for Mary. It was the day set for laying the mine bombs in the sea on the western side of the island. Now or never was her chance! She was to get a first hand demonstration in the manner of handling the bombs; and after that she must carry out her dangerous plan immediately, as the repairs to the airplane were now completed, and there was no telling when Levanter might stroll over to the beach near the Hilo and discover that the lifeboat was missing. True he did not go in that direction often, but there was no way of knowing how soon he might.

As soon as she was dressed Mary went down to the dining room that had been built in the house where they all lived. Levanter and his crew were all seated at the table, eating the breakfast that had been prepared by the Kanaka cook of the schooner. As she sat down the sky pirate said to her:

“We are going to set out immediately after breakfast, Mary. Will you be ready then?”

“Yes,” she replied.

She was far too excited to eat much, although she made an ostensible effort to do so, as she did not wish the men in front of her to suspect that her feelings were anything but normal. Immediately after the meal, the men went outside and began to load the bombs which had been completed on the airplane. Mary went out with them. She noted that they had carefully observed whether the safety lock was in before picking up the dangerous things. There were too many to carry on one trip, and it was decided to make two voyages to the place where they were to be submerged.

When the task of loading the bombs on the airplane had been completed Mary went aboard with Levanter and the rest of the crew. The airplane was released from its mooring to the ringbolt on the jutting rock, and the marine screw was started. It took about an hour to make the voyage to the destination because the airplane, although only of shallow draft, was compelled to cruise well within the mine belt and go slowly. Its retractible wings were drawn up close to the side of the fuselage cabin. Only in the harbor itself had sufficient room been left free from mines for the airplane to land upon and take off from the water.

Once arrived at the scene of the mine laying, Mary watched the operations with extreme interest. A number of heavy rocks had been brought along in the airplane, one for each bomb. While the airplane was cruising to the place where they were to be lowered into the sea, the crew was engaged in splicing ropes to the rocks. The rocks were to act as anchors to the bombs. As soon as a rope was spliced on to a rock, the other end of the rope was attached to the bomb, the length of the rope being just sufficient to keep the mine submerged.

Immediately after the airplane arrived at its destination its wings were again extended and were used as a platform from which to drop the bombs into the sea. Levanter had made a careful survey of the island and had drawn a chart of it and the waters surrounding it. A pin-point on this chart marked the exact location of each bomb that had been previously dropped into the sea.

At the point where he desired to sow the remaining mines the airplane was brought to a stop, and the crew went out on the wings. One of the rocks with its rope attached was dropped overboard. At the other end of the rope the mine was attached, and as soon as the rope became taut the mine was carefully dropped overboard, after the safety lock had been released.

Mary watched these operations carefully and intently. Occasionally she asked Levanter a question, which in every case he did not hesitate to answer. She had now gained a complete knowledge of the manner in which the bombs were handled safely, and she was convinced that she herself could handle them without danger.

While the men were still engaged in their work, Mary was deeply engrossed in the problem of detonating one of the bombs, should she be successful in obtaining one and placing it under the schooner Hilo. It was evident that she could not change the mechanism of the bomb herself, therefore, she must devise some other means of exploding it from a point of safety, after placing it beneath the schooner.

She was still deep in this reverie when Levanter and his men had completed their job. She was brought back to realities by the former who tapped her on the shoulder and said:

“Mary, I am going to say something personal. I hope you won’t misunderstand me. I am not saying it to insult you because I know what I am going to tell you is my fault and not yours.”

“What is it?” asked Mary somewhat sharply.

“It’s a pretty difficult and delicate thing to say,” he replied, “but I couldn’t help noticing as you stood there how much you are in need of some new clothes. Your wardrobe must be nearly exhausted.”

“Well, you can’t expect me to keep in the height of fashion on your island, can you?” said Mary with asperity. “The stores here are not exactly in the same class with those on Fifth Avenue.”

“I didn’t mean to be rude, Mary,” said Levanter, “the fault is mine, I know. What I wanted to tell you was that I am going out to get you some new clothes. The airplane is in good repair again, and as soon as we get this job done I will go out and get you something new.”

Mary was now all attention. His remark had aroused all the feminine interest and instincts within her. How did he propose to get new clothes for her? She had been dissatisfied with her appearance but had become reconciled to it, especially as there were no other women on the island. His remark opened up a number of possibilities. Was he going to take her with him, if so, where? This might offer a chance to escape from him. Quickly she decided to press him on that point and find out just exactly what his intentions were.

“You don’t suppose that you can buy clothes that will suit me, do you?” she asked.

“Well, no,” he replied, “I didn’t intend to buy them. I was going to get them from my next airship. I thought you could come along and pick out what you wanted.”

The answer was a distinct disappointment to Mary.

“Do you think I want to wear some other woman’s clothes?” she exclaimed indignantly.

“Why not, Mary,” inquired Levanter. “There is no other way to get them. We can’t take you to any store to buy you new ones, and even if we could, the stores we could take you to are so inferior that you would undoubtedly get better looking clothes from one of the airships than you would from any of the stores in the Pacific Islands. Women who can afford to travel on the airships can afford to have good and stylish clothes, and you can have the best there is on the airship just for the taking.”

“Oh; if that’s the case I’m not interested,” said Mary with an air of finality. “The clothes I have are good enough for me under those circumstances.”

“But, my dear girl, what you have will soon be in rags; you can’t expect them to last forever. Besides I like to see you looking nice.”

“Well I can sew them if they become ragged,” she replied, “I am not going to put anybody in danger for the sake of new clothes.”

* * * * *

“I am going anyway, so you might as well have the best we can get for you,” said Levanter.

“You may do as you please, but I am not going with you.”

Mary refused to discuss the matter any further, and Levanter did not insist. She dismissed the subject from her mind. On the way back to the harbor she became deeply engrossed again in the problem of obtaining one of the bombs. Having decided upon what she thought was the best way to do this, she tackled the next problem confronting her. How could she arrange for its explosion after she had placed it under the schooner and had herself reached a place of safety?

She had no knowledge of mechanics, and she racked her brain for some means of accomplishing her purpose without danger to herself. Finally, after thinking over it for a long time, an idea occurred to her which she thought might help her.

She could employ a trick she had seen the boys use in snaring birds, while she was a little girl. If she could get a heavy rock, poise it above one of the contact studs of the bomb by means of a stick, and then attach a string to it, she could pull the string and let the rock fall on the contact. She felt sure that it would fall with sufficient force to explode the bomb, blow up the schooner, and destroy all evidence that the lifeboat was missing. It was the best solution of the difficulty that she could think of. The problem now confronting her was to obtain one of the bombs.

As the airplane neared the harbor Mary’s mind reverted to the subject of clothes that had just been broached by Levanter. After all he was apparently determined to go out again and bring down another airship, and nothing that she could do or say would prevent him from carrying out his purpose, short of a direct promise to marry him, and she had no intention of giving him that. Here indeed was a chance to put her plan into effect while he was away. She felt sure that on the morning of his departure he would ask her to accompany him. She decided to feign illness as a pretext for not going. Then after he had left in the airplane she would try to get one of the bombs from the workshop and endeavor to complete her task before he returned. She figured that he would be away fully six hours and probably longer. This would give her ample time to do what she wanted, provided the Kanakas kept out of the way. So far as she could see the latter was the only thing that would stop her.

When the airplane reached the harbor the crew got busy loading up the remaining mines that were to be dropped on the western side of the island. Mary went off the machine with Levanter and shortly after said to him:

“I don’t feel like going out with you again this afternoon. I think I’ll remain here while you go out. I want to read.”

“Alright,” he replied.

In the afternoon Mary waited until Levanter and his men went down to the airplane, then she strolled over to the beach and examined the Hilo very carefully. She looked for the best place to put the bomb. Then she searched for a rock heavy enough to fall with sufficient force to explode the bomb. Having found one, she decided it would be a good idea to save a lot of time by moving it into position right away.

For the rest of the afternoon Mary worked feverishly and laboriously, moving the rock over toward the schooner Hilo with the aid of a big stick she used as a lever. With great patience and persistent effort she succeeded in getting it alongside the wrecked schooner. Her task completed, she paused, almost exhausted from the exertion. So violent had been her struggle in moving the heavy rock that perspiration was running freely down her face, and her breath was coming in deep heavy gasps. Still panting, she straightened herself up and looked around. At that moment she got the greatest shock of her life.

Standing directly behind her, was Levanter with a sardonic smile upon his face.