Suddenly a cry arose from the crowd of men near the red shed.
Ned, who stood ready with several lines of hose, in charge of
Koku, Eradicate and others, to turn them on the airship shed, in
case of need, looked in the direction of the excited throng.
The young bank clerk saw a strange sight. From the top of the
dirigible balloon shed a long, black, cigar-shaped body arose,
floating gradually upward. The very roof of the shed slid back
out of the way, as Tom pressed the operating lever, and the
dirigible was free to rise--as free as though it had been in an
open field.
"He's going up!" cried Ned in surprise. "Making an ascent at a
time like this, when he ought to stay here to fight the fire!
What's gotten into Tom, I'd like to know? I wonder if he can
be--"
Ned did not finish his half-formed sentence. A dreadful thought
came into his mind. What if the sudden fire, and the threatened
danger, as well as the prospective loss that confronted Tom, had
affected his mind?
"It certainly looks so," mused Ned, as he saw the big balloon
float free from the shed. There was no doubt but that Tom was in
it. He could be seen standing within the pilot-house, operating
the various wheels and levers that controlled the ship of the
air.
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