It's already 00:20. Uncle Prudang and Fricolan helped Phil Evans hide behind the boulder, dodging the five or six bullets that continued to fire from the aircraft, and now their hearts were more secure.
The Albatross drifted away from Chatham Island and had to rapidly ascend to an altitude of 900 meters. to avoid falling into the sea.
Robb and Tom Turner loosened the ropes of the shouting sentry. It was then discovered that all three captives, including Fricolan, were missing.
Robb was so annoyed by this that as soon as they escaped, they would reveal his secret to the outside world, and he did not pay much attention to the letter he had left behind in Europe, because it was very likely that he would be lost on the way down! ...... But now... But he soon calmed down.
"Hmm, what about escaping?" He said, I'll be back soon, they can't escape chatham so quickly! ...... Just search carefully... Get them back! ...... At that time..."
It is true that the three men have not completely escaped the predicament, and once the Albatross regains its ability to set its course, it will rush back to the island to search, but they cannot have escaped from the island by then.
They will soon be captured by Robb.
However, in less than two hours, the Albatross will disappear from the world! The barrel of the explosives was like a time bomb, and it was about to complete its mission.
More violent sea breezes blew the craft northeastward, not very quickly, but it was estimated that Chatham Island would not be visible by dawn. If you want to fly back against the wind, at least repair the front propeller.
"Tom," Roble commanded, "increase the brightness of the lamp. ”
"Yes, Captain."
"Everybody hurry up and fix the front propeller!"
"Okay, come on guys!" Tom Turner replied.
The situation is urgent, repairs must be accelerated, all people forget the fatigue! They all understood the captain's mood and all worked together to capture the fugitives. Repair and install the front propeller, then quickly return to Chatham Island to recapture the fugitives and repair the rear propeller. After doing this, the Albatross can return to X Island with confidence and boldness.
But what worries everyone now is that the southwest wind blows the "Albatross" farther and farther to the northeast. Now the wind was so strong that the headwind flew back, and it couldn't even stay still.
Without the thruster, it became an unmanageable balloon, and the three fugitives watched the craft go away, confident that it would float away without a trace before it exploded.
These circumstances have exacerbated Robb's concerns, and wouldn't the time to return to Chatham Island be delayed again? So, while stepping up repairs, orders to descend, to see if the wind in the low air is smaller, to ensure that the Albatross does not drift too far before recovering and withstanding the storm.
The Albatross stopped when it descended to a distance of only a few hundred feet above the sea.
But contrary to expectations, the wind is stronger in the low air, so that it will be blown farther. After several experiments, they decided to return to the high altitude with less wind speed, so they rose back to a height of 3,000 meters. It does float more slowly at high altitudes. Robb had already accurately measured the location of Chatham Island, and he estimated that it would not be too far away from Chatham Island by dawn.
Robb did not consider whether the three fugitives would gain the trust of the natives on the island, and whether there was anyone living on the island was still questionable, even if there were natives to help, it would not be a problem.
The powerful fire from the Albatross would crush them, so that the fugitive could be easily captured and then fall into his hands again, "and neither one will want to escape from X Island." Robb said.
At about 1 a.m., the front propeller was finally fully repaired, and at most it would take another hour to install and resume operation, and the Albatross could turn southwest, and then start repairing the tail propeller.
But the fuse of the bomb has burned more than a third! It's getting closer and closer to the nitronic explosive barrel!
If not everyone is busy all the time, someone may notice a slight burning sound or smell coming from the cabin. Then people will pay more attention and search, and maybe it will be too late to find the bomb and save the ship.
But everyone was busy at the bow of the ship, about 20 meters from Uncle Prutan's cabin, and they did not think of searching it again, and what was the need to delay the most important repair work at present?
Even Robb joined in the repairs, taking the lead in his overalls, asking everyone to step up and pay attention to every detail, all with unmistakable precision. He wanted the aircraft to be fully recovered, because as soon as the fugitives returned to their hometowns, the authorities would immediately send someone to investigate, and X Island might be discovered, and the paradise he and his companions had created would never be preserved.
At 1 o'clock, Tom Turner walked up to Robb.
"Captain," he said, "I find that the wind seems to be weakening, and it is in the west. ”
"Have you ever seen a barometer?" Robb asked, looking up at the sky.
"The air pressure is normal," replied Tom Turner, "but I feel as if the clouds are getting thicker and thicker overhead." ”
"You're right, Tom, it's going to rain, but as long as we fly above the minefield, it won't affect our repair work."
"If it rains," said Tom Turner, "it won't be very big from the shape of the clouds, and there may be no wind below." ”
"That's right, Tom," replied Robb, "it is better not to be demoted in my opinion, but the most important thing now is to fix the propeller at once, and when we are free, we will not be afraid of anything." ”
At 2 o'clock, the front propeller was installed, the line between the dry battery was connected, the propeller wing gradually accelerated and rotated, and the aircraft turned around and flew towards the southwestern chatham island at medium speed.
"Tom," said Robb, "the wind blew us out for two hours, and I saw through the compass needle that the wind direction had not changed, so we would not be able to return to Chatham Island in an hour." ”
"I agree with you, Captain," replied Tom Turner, "we are now at 12 m/s, and it is estimated that it will only be around three or four o'clock in the morning when we get back there." ”
"That's great, Tom!" Robb cried, "When it gets dark we hurry back and then land there secretly, those bastards may think we've been blown away by the wind, so they are defenseless, we landed the Albatross behind the big reef, and then we can stay on Chatham Island for a few days..."
"It's nothing to stay for a few days, Captain, but if you meet a native..."
"What are you afraid of?" Tom, we are fighting for the 'Seventh Continent'! ”
Then Robb said to the entire crew who were on standby:
"Friends, now is not the time to rest, let's hold out until dawn!"
The rear propeller and the front propeller are the same failure, the same cause, caused by the Antarctic storm, so the same method must be used to repair.
To remove this propeller, it is best to stop the aircraft or turn it upside down for a few minutes. Robb instructed the technician's assistant to reverse the wheel and rotate the front propeller in reverse, and the Albatross retreated step by step.
Everyone was about to go to the tail when Tom Turner suddenly smelled a special smell.
"Huh?" He snorted.
"What's wrong?" Robb asked.
"Do you smell it?" ...... It seems to smell of gunpowder burning. ”
"Really, Tom!"
"The smell comes from the aft cabin."
"Yes... It's their room..."
"Could it be that those bad guys set the fire?" ......”
"Oops! It would be nothing if it were just to set fire to it..." Roble shouted, "Knock the door open,
Tom, knock the door open! ”
Tom Turner had just taken a step when the explosion occurred, and the earth-shattering explosion shook the entire cabin, the cabin exploded everywhere, the searchlights suddenly went out, and the entire Albatross was pitch black. Most of the lifting propellers were blown out of shape or even broken, leaving only a few at the bow that were still spinning.
The front propulsion propeller is still turning as it is attached to the battery in the first cockpit. Suddenly, the shell of the aircraft snapped off from near the back of the first cockpit, and the second half fell.
The few remaining lifting propellers also stopped at the same time, and the Albatross kept falling downwards!
Eight people clutched the wreckage of the aircraft, and they were about to plant it from an altitude of 3,000 meters to the sea!
The first half of the cut suddenly stood upside down, because at this time the forward propeller was remaining in reverse, and the falling trend was accelerated!
Robb showed astonishing composure in a moment of danger, climbing into the one-story hatch, grasping the joystick and causing the propeller to rotate in reverse again, transforming from propulsion to lifting.
Although it will eventually fall, at least this part will not fall in free fall.
That way, the victims will not die of suffocation because they cannot breathe when they fall rapidly.
Less than 80 seconds after the explosion, the remains of the Albatross were engulfed by the waves of the sea.
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