Chapter 16 Chapter 16 may make the reader regret that the result has not been seen

It was twenty past midnight.Another five or six shots were fired from the aircraft.Uncle Prudang and Fricoland supported Phil.Evans escaped death by lying on his stomach behind the reef.Now, they have nothing to fear. In the beginning, the Albatross rose abruptly to nine hundred meters as it left Chatham Island.In order not to fall into the sea, it has to accelerate its ascent. When the watchman spat out what was in his mouth, the first cry came, Robbier and Tom.Turner immediately ran towards him, tore off the piece of canvas wrapped around him, and untied him.Immediately afterwards, the foreman went straight to Uncle Prudang and Phil.Evans' Room: It's empty!

Francois.Tapari also searched in Fricoland's room: no one was there! Seeing the escape of the prisoner, Robbier was furious.Uncle Prudden and Phil.Once Evans escapes, his secret and himself are exposed.He wasn't worried about the letter he dropped while flying over Europe, because there was a good chance it would be lost when it fell!But, now! Then he calmed down. Well, even if they escape, he said, they won't escape Chatham Island in a few days, I'll be back!I will go search!Bring them back!Until then Indeed, the safety of the three fugitives is far from guaranteed.After the Albatross regained control of its course, it would immediately return to Chatham Island. It was impossible for the fugitives to escape from the island so quickly.In less than half a day, they would be in the hands of the engineer again.

Not half a day!However, within two hours, the Albatross ceased to exist!Isn't that dynamite cartridge just like a mine placed on the side of the ship?It has to complete the explosive mission in the air. At this time, the sea breeze is stronger.The aircraft was scraped to the northeast.Slowly, but by sunrise Chatham Island would be out of sight from them. To sail back against the wind, the propulsion propeller, at least the forward propeller, must be able to operate. Tom, said the engineer, turn on the light as bright as possible. Yes, Captain Robill. Let's all do it together! Yes, everyone!replied the foreman.

Without further ado, we have to do it today.Don't care about fatigue!All the people on the Albatross understood their leader's mood, and they were all ready to go all out to capture the fugitive.Once the front propeller was commissioned and installed, they could return to Chatham Island, stop on the island again, hunt down the fugitives, and then work on repairing the aft propeller.In this way, the aircraft can safely and boldly continue its voyage on the Pacific Ocean to return to the island of X. It was important that the Albatross did not drift too far to the northeast; however, the current situation was very infuriating.The wind is getting stronger and stronger, not only can the aircraft not drive back against the wind, but it can't even stay still.Without thrusters, it also becomes an unsteerable balloon.The escapees stood on the beach and watched, convinced that the craft would disappear into the distance before it was blown to pieces.

This situation cannot but make Robier worried about future arrangements.Shouldn't the return to Chatham Island be postponed again?Therefore, while speeding up repairs, he decided to lower the altitude to see if the low-altitude airflow was weaker. In this way, the Albatross might not drift out of this sea area before it regained its fighting power to win the storm. Without further ado.How frightened the sailors would be if a ship saw the series of maneuvers performed by this illuminated machine! The Albatross came to a halt just a few hundred feet below the surface. Unfortunately, the wind is stronger in the low-altitude area, and the aircraft floats faster.It was likely to be blown far to the northeast, and the return to Chatham Island would inevitably be delayed even further.

All in all, after some attempts, they felt that they should stay at an altitude with relatively stable airflow, so the Albatross rose back to an altitude of 3,000 meters.At this altitude, if not completely stopped, at least float slowly.The engineer hoped to still be able to see the Chatham Island waters from here at dawn.In fact, he had determined exactly where the island was. As for whether those escapees would be warmly received by the natives, if the island was really inhabited, then Robbill would not think about it at all.Even if the natives help, it is nothing more than a trivial matter to him, and the Albatross' attack methods can quickly scare the natives into fleeing.There is no problem in capturing the fugitive, once captured

No one can escape from × Island!Robier said. Around one o'clock in the night, the forward propeller was repaired.Just spend another hour installing it.As soon as these were completed, the Albatross could proceed southwest, and the removal of the aft propulsion propellers could begin. The fuse was burning in the empty room!More than one-third of it has been burned!The fire is getting closer and closer to the dynamite cartridge! Of course, if the people on the aircraft were not so busy, maybe someone heard the faint crackling sound from the cabin, smelled the smell of burning gunpowder, he would pay attention, and he would tell the engineer or Tom ．Turner, everybody's going to search around, and they're going to find that box of dynamite, and it's not too late to save the amazing Albatross and everyone she's carrying.

But the crew worked on the bow, that is to say, they were twenty meters away from the escapee's cabin.There is no need for them to come to this side of the platform, and there is no need to be distracted from this work that requires their full attention. Robier himself was there.He dressed as a mechanic and did it himself.While supervising the work, he never missed any detail, everything must be done accurately.He needs to regain full control of his machine.If he did not bring back the fugitives, they would eventually return to their own country.At that time, someone will come to investigate, X Island may be discovered, and the extraordinary and outstanding life established by the people of the Albatross will be completely destroyed in an instant!

Tom.Turner approached the engineer.It was exactly fifteen minutes past one. Captain Robill, said he, I think the wind seems to be abating, and tending to the west, indeed. What about the barometer?Robier looked at the sky and asked. Mostly smooth, replied the foreman, but I think there are clouds over the Albatross. That's right, Tom.Turner, that means there's a good chance of rain on the ocean.But as long as we stay above the thunderstorm zone, it doesn't matter!Our repair work will not be affected. If it rains, Tom.Turner went on to say that it could have been a drizzle, at least that's what the cloud pattern indicated, and maybe the wind down there had stopped altogether.

Possibly, Tom, replied Robill, but I think it best not to go any further.As soon as the propeller was fixed, we had freedom of movement, which is what matters. A few minutes after two o'clock, the repair work came to an end.The front propellers were installed and the dry batteries that provided power for their operation were also connected. The rotation of the propellers gradually accelerated, and the Albatross turned to the southwest and flew towards Chatham Island at a medium speed. Tom, said Robbier, we drifted northeast about two and a half hours.The direction of the wind has not changed, and I have checked the compass to prove my judgment.So I estimate that in an hour at most, we can return to the waters of Chatham Island.

I think so too, Captain Robier, replied the foreman, we are traveling at twelve meters per second, and at three or four o'clock in the morning the Albatross will be back where it left off. That's great, Tom!The engineer replied that we'd better get there in the dark and land there unnoticed.The fugitives thought we had flown far north and relaxed their guard.When the Albatross was close to the ground, we tried to hide it behind the big rocks on the island.And then, even if it's a few days on Chatham Island Let us stay then, Captain Robill.If we had to fight the natives Fight to fight!Tom, we're going to fight for the Albatross! With that, the engineer turned to his men, who were at the ready. Friends, Robbier told them, it is not time to rest, but to work till dawn! All are ready. Repairs must now be made to the rear propellers as to the front propellers.The same problem, the same reason, that is to say, they were all damaged by storms while flying over the Antarctic continent. However, to remove the propeller, it is best to stop the aircraft for a few minutes, or even reverse it.According to Robbier's order, the technician's assistant turned the front propeller in the opposite direction and started to reverse.Thus, the aircraft began to slowly reverse. When everyone was about to go to the back of the machine, Tom.Turner suddenly smelled a strange smell. Um?The foreman snorted. what happened?Robier room. you didn't smell it?It was as if gunpowder was burning. No, Tom! The smell is coming from the aft cabin. yes that house Did those rascals set fire to it? oops!It would have been better if it had only been set on fire, Robier cried, knock the door open, Tom, knock the door open! Just as the foreman took a step towards the stern, there was an explosion that shook the entire Albatross.The cabin was blown to pieces and the searchlights went out.The electricity suddenly cut off, and the entire aircraft was pitch black.Although most of the lift propellers were blown out of shape, broken or disabled, the few at the bow were still turning. The batteries driving the forward propulsion propellers are in the first cabin.At this time, the outer shell of the aircraft suddenly broke not far behind the first cabin, and the second half of the platform rolled down in the air. The last few lifting propellers also stopped rotating almost at the same time, and the Albatross fell into the abyss. The eight people on board were like victims of a sea, clinging tightly to the front half of the wreckage, they were going to fall three thousand meters! The front half stood upright and fell straight down.Especially the forward propeller was still spinning, which made the fall even faster. Robier was calm and calm in the face of danger.He slid to the remaining half of the cabin, grabbed the start lever, and changed the direction of propeller rotation, and the propulsion function was converted to the lifting function. Although the time of falling can be prolonged, the aircraft will eventually fall.But at least the wreckage won't fall with the acceleration of gravity in free fall.Even if the Albatross were to fall into the sea after all, at least the victims would not suffocate to death due to the inability to breathe during the high-speed descent. Eighty seconds at most after the explosion, the remaining fragments of the Albatross were swallowed by the waves of the sea.