Through the Air to the North Pole | Page 8

Mark went on, indicating the
much-locked portal.
"I knew it!" exclaimed the old man. "I knew it! Now if I tell you will
you promise to keep it a secret until I give you leave to speak?"
Of course the boys promised eagerly.
"Do you think you have rested enough now to take a look inside?" the
inventor asked, nodding toward the locked door.
"Sure!" exclaimed Jack.
"Then put on your coats and trousers and I'll introduce you to my pet."
Wonderingly, the boys followed him. It took nearly a minute to
unfasten the various bolts and bars, but at last the portal swung open.
The place was dimly lighted by a single big lamp, but in the glare of it
the boys caught sight of a strange, weird object. It looked like an
immense cigar, and swayed slowly back and forward. It seemed to be
covered with a net-work of cords. On the ground beneath it was what
seemed to be a good-sized boat, with a large cabin amidships.

"What in the world is it?" cried Jack.
"It's my airship!" exclaimed Professor Henderson. "The only successful
airship ever invented. It is the electric Monarch!"
"What is it for?" asked Mark.
"To navigate the realm of the stars and moon!" cried the old man.
"With that I will rival the eagles in their flight!"
The boys were a little alarmed. The professor was strangely excited.
His eyes sparkled in the reflected light of the lamp. Jack and Mark
thought they might have been brought to the abode of a madman. They
shrank back a little. But they were reassured a moment later when, with
a pleasant laugh, the old man said:
"Don't be frightened, boys. I know what I am talking about. Here,
Washington, more light! We will show them what we have done,
hidden away from the sight of the curious, unbelieving world. Let them
see my Monarch!"
"We'll illuminationness dis abode like it was de orb ob day shinin'
heah!" exclaimed the negro, as he started several more lamps aglow.
"Are the shutters closed?" asked Mr. Henderson, anxiously.
"Tight as a drum-head," was the reply.
"Now look!" exclaimed the inventor, turning to the boys.
They were more than astonished at what they saw. They had no idea
that the rough shed held such a perfect piece of machinery.
Up near the roof of the place, which was quite high, there swayed an
immense bag of oiled silk. It was shaped like a cigar, big in the middle
and tapering at both ends. The bag was enclosed in a net of ropes which
extended down to the lower part of the airship.
This lower part, as the boys could see, was just like a steam launch in

shape, only much lighter in weight. It had a sharp bow, and a blunt
stern. From the stern there extended a large propeller, the blades being
made from sheets of aluminum.
The main part of the ship proper, or the part suspended from the gas
bag, was covered by a closed and roofed cabin about forty feet long, ten
feet wide, and extending five feet above the gunwale of the ship. The
cabin had four windows on each side, a companionway fore and aft,
and a sort of look-out or conning tower forward, which, the professor
explained, was the place for the steersman.
"Because this ship can be steered wherever you want to go," he said,
pointing to the big rudder that was hung aft, an opening in it allowing
the screw or propeller to revolve.
The boys were lost in admiration of the wonderful airship. They were
consumed with curiosity as to how the machinery worked, and they
thought no more of their knocks and bruises than as if a mosquito had
bitten them. The professor watched their faces with delight. He loved
boys and mechanical apparatus.
"Now we will enter the Monarch," he said. "Turn on the lights,
Washington."
There was a click, and the cabin of the airship was flooded with a soft
glow of incandescent lamps.
"Come on!" called Mr. Henderson, leading the way. The boys followed,
marveling at the wonders on every side.
They found the cabin of the strange craft divided into three parts. First
came a sort of parlor, with a table and seats arranged on the sides. In
the front part of this was a passage leading to the conning tower, or the
place for the steersman. Behind the parlor came the sleeping quarters
and dining room combined. The bunks were arranged to fold against
the wall, and a table in the centre could be shut up when not in use and
hoisted to the ceiling, giving plenty of space.

Next came the engine room, and as they entered it the boys could
hardly restrain from giving