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BRAVE AND BOLD. 25
A wild. despairing shriek rent the night air, and then
all was silence.
“VVell, he'll never trouble us again."
“Don’t be too sure 0’ that, Misther Tom.
shwim out, sorr."
“That‘s impossible."
“Sure, n0tl‘.in' in the way o‘ diviltry is impossible wid
him’, Misther Tom. How did he git here, anyhow? He
must have Flown, sorr."
“I cannot imagine. I was seate(l yonder. asleep. I am
afraid, when a touch on my shoulder aroused me. I
sprang up and was confronted by Dufheld."
“An’ where was the munseer?"
“He had disappeared, Pat; I fear that Duffield has
thrown him from the car. There was a strong odor of
chloroform, and I suppose that the scoundrel had ad-
ministered the drug to you, but that he gave you a smaller
dose than he imagined-luckily for me. The struggle be-
tween us had been going on for nearly five niinutes, I
should think, when you interrupted it. ‘But now we must
try to find out how Dufheld got on board. He must have
concealed himself somewhere; but where? Ah. I have it!
He was in the hold!”
“Sure, I belave ye're right, Misther Tom."
“I know I am, for tliere’s nowhere else that he could
have hidden. Yes. I see it all now.”
“Is that so, sorr ?”
“Yes. You know Monsieur Durand told us of Duf-
field's visit to the Nellie. He found out all he could
about the airship, then he went away. But he returned,
unknown to Durand, and concealed himself in the hold."
“Sure, I've no doubt it was his intintioii ter murther
us all, an' run the fiyiri’ machine himself." said Hat.
“You’re probably right, and Durand was his first vic-
tim. But I should have thought he would at least have
allowed him to live. How could he expect to navigate
the airship himself?”
“But, sure, Misther Tom. that’s what we’ve got ter d0.
sorr."
“By Jove, you’re right!"
The two travelers stared at each other in speechless
consternation for a few moments, then the Irishman said:
“Sure, what’ll we do, sorr? No one but DUT9-W1 0’
the divil c'u’d work the machine.”
“Well, Pat, I don’t know what we can do except take
Our chances. The mysterious motive power of the ship
was contained iii that little vial in the Frencliniairs pocket.
That is gone now, and even if we had it. perhaps we
would not be able to utilize it. When the last supply
is exhausted what are we going to do?"
“Oh, wirra, wirra, why did we iver s
divil’s journey annyhow ?" wailed Pat.
“Well, don’t let us get despondent.
to worse. I can lower the machine.
out the boat and trust ourselves to the in
waves." ,
“Sure, Misther Tom. what c'u'd we do
boat the loikes 0' that in the middle 0' the say
be worse off nor we are up here. I'm t'inkin'.'
“Vtlell. we won't worry about that yet, I‘at. Now. tlien.
let's take a look at the hold and see where Dufheld man-
aged to stow himself away."
He may
thart on this
If worse comes
Then we can put
crcy of the
in a shinall
' ? Wed
Pat lifted the trapdoor. The next moment a crr ..,’
amazement burst from his lips. '
“Murther an' Irish; what’s this I see?”
“Vl'liat is it. Pat .7" demanded Tom.
“The Friiichmaii--tlie munseer, Misther Tom--here
he is!"
Tom rushed forward and gazed down into the hold.
Yes, there lay Durand, his eyes closed, his pale face
upturned. blood upon his forehead, his hands and feet
bound with ropes.
In a few moments Tom and the Irishman had lifted
him out. and were bathing his forehead, having cut the
cords that bound him.
“Sure. it's dead he is, I'm t'inkin', sorr." said Pat.
"No. he breathes." returned Tom. “He’s had a hard
blow on the forehead. It was Duffieldis intention. no
doubt. to spare his life and force him to navigate the ship
according to his directions."
At this moment a low sigh escaped Durand's lips; then
he opened his eyes.
CHAPTER XX.
A NEW PERIL.
After gazing about him with a vacant stare for some
moments. the Frenchman leaped to his feet.
“Vere is zat villain?" he cried, excitedly.
The next moment he fell back into Tom's arms with a
cry of pain.
“Don't excite yourself. my friend," said our hero.
soothingly; “he will not trouble us again in a hurry."
“But Vere is he?" persisted Durand. faintly. “Have
you made of him a precsoner .7" and he glanced appre-
hensively into the hold.
“No." returned Tom, "he is no longer a fellow pas-
senger of ours."
“You have keeld him, Monsieur Peenkney .7" cried the
Frenchman.
“No, he fell from the car."
Durand uttered a cry of joy.
“Zat is well. All zat I regret is zat I did not have ze
pleasure-ze grande pleasure-to keel heeni myself.”
Pat grasped Durand's hand.
"Exchuse me. munsecr." he said. “but thim's me own
sintimints. Av Ill ha‘ had the chance at him that Misther
Tom did. I'm t'inkin’ he'd ha’ gone over before he did.
Sure, munscer, 'twas a purty rap he gev ye. annyhow."
“Di'r1lJlr! yes," cried the Frenchman. “He was crazy
wid ze drink. I awake me from sleep. and he stand be-
fore me. I smell ze drug-vat you call ect ?"
“Chloroform." suggested Tom.
“Zat ees eet. I know zat ect ees. because my father
have often use ect. Zis man. Diifficltl. I t'ink you call
him, have a bottle and a l‘lflI1(llx'Cl‘Clllt‘i in hoes hand. I
rise quecckly, for I see vat he intend to do. I look
aroinid me, and I see zat ze hold is open: zen I know
zat he have concealed hinisclf zero. I also see you. Mon-
sieur Tom, and you. too. I’at. asleep. and I see zat he haf
given you 20 chloroform."
“He didn't give us enough. tliougli." laiighcd Tom, who
was rapidly rt-covering his spirits. “and WL‘;I‘(.‘. none the
worse for the (l0S(‘."
"lie say to me," went on Duraiid, “zat zc Nellie was