THE RESCUE
"Jump! Jump!" cried Mr.Swift, leaping to his feet and motioning to the man on the trapeze of the balloon.But it is doubtful whether or not the performer heard him.Certainly he could not see the frantic motions of the inventor."Why doesn't he jump?" Mr.Swift went on piteously to the two lads."He'll surely be burned to death if he hangs on there!""It's too far to leap!" exclaimed Tom."He's a good way up in the air, though it looks like only a short distance.He would be killed if he dropped now.""He ought to have a parachute," added Ned."Most of those men do when they go up in a balloon.Why doesn't he come down in that? I wonder how the balloon took fire?""Maybe he hasn't a parachute," suggested Tom, while he slowed down the motor-boat still more so as to remain very nearly under the blazing balloon.
"Yes, he has!" cried Ned."See, it's hanging to one side of the big bag.He ought to cut loose.He could save himself then.Why doesn't he?"The balloon was slowly twisting about, gradually settling to the surface of the lake, but all the while the flames were becoming fiercer and the black clouds of smoke increased in size.
"There, see the parachute!" went on Ned.
The twisting of the bag had brought into view the parachute or big, umbrella-shaped bag, which would have enabled the man to safely drop to the surface of the lake.Without it he would have hit the water with such force that he would have been killed as surely as if he had struck the solid earth.But the boys and Mr.Swift also saw something else, and this was that the balloon was on fire on the same side where the parachute was suspended.
"Look! Look!" shouted Tom, bringing his boat to a stop."That's whyhe can't jump!He can't reach the parachute!"By this time the balloon had settled so low that the actions of the man could be plainly seen.That he was in great agony of fear, as well as in great pain from the terrific heat over his head was evident.He shifted about on the trapeze bar, now hanging by one hand, so as to bring his body a little farther below the blazing end of the bag, then, when one arm tired, he would hang by the other.If the balloon would only come down more quickly it would get to within such a short distance of the water that the man could safely make the drop.But the immense canvas bag was settling so slowly, for it was still very buoyant, that considerable time must elapse before it would be near enough to the water to make it safe for the unfortunate man to let go the trapeze.
"Oh, if we could only do something!" cried Tom."We have to remain here helpless and watch him burn to death.It's awful!"The three in the boat continued to gaze upward.They could see the man making frantic efforts to reach his parachute from time to time.Once, as a little current of air blew the flames and smoke to one side, he thought he had a chance.Up on the trapeze bar he pulled himself and then edged along it in an endeavor to grasp the ring of the parachute.Once he almost had hold of that and also the cord, which ran to a knife blade.This cord, being pulled, would sever the rope that bound it to the balloon, and he would be comparatively safe, so he might drop to the lake.But, just as he was about to grasp the ring and cord the smoke came swirling down on him and the hungry flames seemed to put out their fiery tongues to devour him.He had to slide back and once more hung by his hands.
"I thought he was saved then," whispered Tom, and even the whisper sounded loud in the silence.
Several men came running along the shore of the lake now.They saw the occupants in the ARROW and cried out:
"Why don't you save him?Go to his rescue!""What can we do?" asked Ned quietly of his two friends, but he did not trouble to answer the men on shore, who probably did not know what they were saying.
The motor-boat had drifted from a spot under the unfortunate balloonist, and at a word from his father the young inventor started the engine and steered the craft back directly under the blazing bag again.
"If he does drop, perhaps we may be able to pick him up," said Mr.
Swift."I
wish we could save him!"
A cry from Ned startled Tom and his father, and their eyes, that had momentarily been directed away from the burning bag high in the air, were again turned toward it.
"The balloon is falling apart!" exclaimed Ned."It's all up with him now!"Indeed it did seem so, for pieces of the burning canvas, blazing and smoking, were falling in a shower from the part of the bag already consumed, and the fiery particles were fairly raining down on the man.But he still had his wits about him, though his perilous position was enough to make any one lose his mind, and he swung from side to side on the bar, shifting skillfully with his hands and dodging the larger particles of blazing canvas.When some small sparks fell on his clothing he beat them out with one hand, while with the other he clung to the trapeze.
There was scarcely any wind or the man's plight might have been more bearable, for the current of air would have carried the smoke and fire to one side.As it was, most of the smoke and flames went straight up, save now and then, when a draught created by the heat would swirl the black clouds down on the performer, hiding him from sight for a second or two.A breeze would have carried the sparks away instead of letting them fall on him.
