"'On board the balloon _Kentucky_, and drifting toward the gulf. Our valve refuses to work, and we dare not attempt to land in the dark.

Ballast nearly gone. We fear we may be swept out to sea. Please notify station at Pensacola to send a.s.sistance--a tug, if possible. We may keep afloat a short time if we fall into the gulf.

"'JASON SMYTHE.'"

The boys looked awed at the remarkable coincidence of that sand bag, possibly thrown out at random, striking their tent; and they who knew the professor so well.

"But, come, fellows! We must be off! Leave these few things here till we get back. To save that daring aeronaut's life I'd sacrifice ten times as much!" cried Frank as he leaped aboard the boat and started the motor, while the others tore loose the two remaining hawsers.

CHAPTER XXIII

A DASH UPON THE GULF

"How About it, Frank? Ought all of us to go?" asked Jerry.

"Do you think any one wants to remain behind?" asked the party addressed.

"Speaking for myself, nothing could induce me to stay," came the reply.

"So say we all of us," declared Bluff, who had overheard the question.

"Besides, I think it wise that we stick together. If anything should happen that we couldn't come back here, it wouldn't matter much. You see, we've been able to tumble most of our stuff aboard in a scramble. It can be straightened out as we go. All ready, Jerry?" questioned Frank, as the other gave a shout.

"All ready! Get aboard, and start her. It's light enough to see, now. Oh!

I only hope we can find the professor!" cried Jerry as he embarked.

"If Fortune is kind, we must, boys. Now we're off!"

With these words, firmly spoken, Frank opened up, and the power-boat began to move through the water. Fortunately, it was deep in this shelter, so that they could make decent speed from the beginning. Had they anch.o.r.ed in such a shallow bayou as their last stopping place, it must have taken an hour to get clear of the various oyster bars, running out in finger-like ridges from the sh.o.r.e.

Presently they cleared the point of land marking the upper end of the sheltering key, and the limitless gulf lay before them.

Morning was now rapidly advancing. The far eastern heavens had begun to take on a beautiful rosy flush, such as can be seen in no place in the wide world to better advantage than in Florida, of a winter's morning.

Every eye was instantly engaged in scouring that expanse of water, searching eagerly for a sign of the castaway balloonists. Frank even had his marine gla.s.ses leveled, and, first of all, scanned the horizon, hoping that possibly the air craft might have been able to keep afloat thus far through strenuous methods known to such a veteran sky pilot as the professor.

He was disappointed, however, for the only things that met his gaze were a few white gulls.

"What's that floating on the water over yonder, Frank?" demanded sharp-eyed Will, pointing down the coast a little.

A thrill pa.s.sed through every heart. Had the lost air voyagers been sighted, and would they be rescued, after all?

Frank had his gla.s.ses focussed upon the object almost instantly.

"Too bad, fellows! Only a bunch of brown pelicans floating on the sea and waiting until breakfast time comes around," he said at once.

A chorus of remarks indicative of disappointment followed. Meantime, as the speed of the boat was rushed up to near the limit of twelve miles, and they fairly flew over the comparatively smooth gulf, each boy continued to scan the water, hoping to be the first to report success.

"How long since they pa.s.sed over, do you think?" asked practical Bluff.

"I should say all of an hour," was Frank's ready response.

"One good thing, there wasn't any sort of a breeze. If it had been blowing fairly hard, the balloon would be twenty miles away by now, even if afloat."

"That's a fact Bluff; and as there wasn't an air current of more than a few miles an hour, one thing seems positive."

"What's that, Frank?" demanded Jerry.

"The balloon must have dropped into the water. If it was still in the air it could be seen through these powerful gla.s.ses miles away."

The others recognized the truth of his words.

"You seem to be heading straight out. Have you any reason for such a thing?" asked Bluff, seeking information.

"I have. Before we started I carefully noted my bearings. I also made sure that what little air was stirring came direct from the land, which, in this case, was almost due east. You can easily see from that which way the balloon must have drifted up to the minute it dragged in the water."

"Frank, what you say is sound, practical good sense. We must come on some sign in a short time, if we keep straight on and the conditions remain the same. I'm only afraid we may be too late," remarked Jerry sadly.

No one else spoke for several minutes as the motor-boat sped merrily along on her mission of mercy. It was a time of great strain. They hoped for the best, and yet were conscious of a terrible fear lest the professor and his a.s.sistant might have gone down long ere this.

"The breeze is freshening," remarked Bluff presently.

Frank had noted this, too. It was only natural, for after dawn the air currents that may have become sluggish during the night were in the habit of awakening and taking on new life.

He looked back. The land was several miles away by this time. If they were fated to meet with success in their errand, something must be showing up very soon now.

Sick at heart with apprehension, Frank handed the gla.s.ses over to Jerry, and was pretending to pay strict attention to the motor. Truth to tell, his nerves were keyed up to a high tension, as he counted the seconds, and kept hoping for the best.

Frank had noted one thing that gave him not a little concern. This was in connection with the fact that the easterly breeze seemed to have bobbed around to the southwest. Now, from all that he had heard this was a quarter that nearly always brings one of those howling "northers" that prove such a bane to Florida cruisers.

"How about that, Joe--is the fact that the wind is in the southwest apt to bring bad weather?" he asked, when he could get the cracker lad aside; for Frank did not wish to further alarm his chums.

"Most always that happens. When the wind rises now, unless she goes back once again to the south, you see she will be squally," returned Joe, also lowering his voice cautiously.

"And that squally wind develops into something stronger, I guess?"

pursued the Northern boy, always seeking to learn.

"It jumps around to the northwest like a pompano skipping along the water in a shoal. Then for three days it blows like a railroad train, out of the north, and we all shiver," was the characteristic reply.

"Well, I only hope the squall part of it holds off until we pick up the poor professor. We saved him once from the fire, and now it seems up to us to pull him in out of the wet, if we have any decent sort of luck."