Chapter 8 THE CRADLE OF THE ZEPPELIN

He watched the retreating back of the young captain under discussion with the wise eyes of a man who can read men.

"Yess, he looks goot," he added.

They were driven to a hotel, and escorted to luxurious rooms.

The lobby was full of young officers, strutting and clanking around. Mr. Hammond and David looked distinguished in their plain, close-fitting blue with black braid and small gold insignia which had been chosen as the ship's uniform. They were both very tall men, well over six feet, the muscles of the younger man making up for the middle-age weight of the older. The Germans regarded them with interest and respect. Certainly they were not to be looked down on, at least! Dulcie, watching them, thought with fury of her own fairylike proportions. How she pined to be a Brunhilde, stalking firmly among all these arrogant-looking young men!

Having changed her frock, Dulcie went to find her father. She found him in his room struggling with a tie, while at the same time he regarded a long, official-looking document on the chiffonier.

"Just look at this, Dulcie." He handed her the paper. "A state luncheon at one-thirty, for a starter, and from then on not a minute that isn't taken up. It's a little better for you, but I bet every last one of these officials has a nice husky wife who will look after you."

"I'll let 'em look for a while, but sometime I am going to play truant. I want to see Friedrichshafen my own way. Isn't it beautiful? And it was here that Count Zeppelin lived, and worked out his plans. I want to learn all about him."

"Yes, you ought to learn all you can about him, Dulcie. Of course, Santos-Dumont was the first one seriously to struggle with the problem of the rigid dirigible, but Count Zeppelin went far ahead of him. Come in!" he added in a roar, as a knock sounded at the door. A bell boy, apple-cheeked and rosy, presented a large tray piled with envelopes.

Mr. Hammond groaned.

"Look 'em over, will you, Dulcie; we only have fifteen minutes, but you are all ready."

Dulcie gave a little laugh. "Why, a lot of them are for me," she cried, beginning to tear them open. "You were right; they are from the wives. And oh, such high-sounding titles!" She shuffled her notes into a pile. "I'll read them later."

The troublesome tie finally in place, Mr. Hammond put on his coat, smacked down his thick white hair, and they descended to the lounge, where a delegation awaited them.

The burgomaster met them with a long address of welcome, to which all the Germans present listened attentively, as though to show that they approved thoroughly. Dulcie studied their heavy, intelligent faces. Across the weatherbeaten cheeks of a number of the older men ran jagged scars. Newer, livid seams puckered the faces of a couple of the younger officers, brands from Heidelberg duels. Young and old alike stood straight, feet firmly planted, heads proudly poised on their thick necks.

"They are glad they are men, and Germans, and want everybody to know it," thought Dulcie.

The luncheon was a heavy meal, punctuated by heavy speeches and encored by heavy voices barking "Hoch, hoch!" appreciatively. Mr. Hammond enjoyed every moment of it. The utterances of those clear, keen, lucid minds were well worth listening to, especially as he spoke German fluently. Dulcie, also easily conversant with the language, was greatly interested; but David was lost. His French was fairly good, although of the prep-school type, but the guttural polysyllables of the Germans left him gasping.

After the luncheon came a drive, which was in reality a parade designed to show the visitors to the inhabitants of the city. Hundreds of people had come from Berlin and elsewhere to see the great American dirigible, her officers, her crew and her passengers. Every hotel and boarding house was filled to capacity. To the German mind their advent was an educational opportunity which must be followed up.

The procession wound up at the landing field where the visitors were shown all the latest improvements on the German dirigibles. New materials for frame construction, covering, and so forth, all under severe tests of every possible sort.

This airport was the home of the first Zeppelin. It was here that Count Zeppelin spent his time and energy; a wonderful old man, who defied age and went gallantly on, working, planning and constructing, until at last he had the great happiness of tasting success.

They were taken to Count Zeppelin's office, left as he had used it. The walls were covered with pictures of dirigibles and photographs of engines. Otherwise the room was bare and severe, the room of a man whose whole heart was so entirely in his great work that he found no space for non-essentials. His name is justly revered and honored by every German, and never while a dirigible flies will any country fail to pay homage to his illustrious memory.

That night, after a formal dinner given at the airport in a great banqueting hall, they listened to the Friedrichshafen Choral Society.

Next morning, Dulcie slipped away and explored the city. She was a tireless walker, and her pleasant wanderings took her over miles of clean and charming streets. The business part of the town was lavishly decorated with flags and bunting in their honor. Everyone seemed to move with a snap. There were no loiterers. Robust people did robust work, as though they enjoyed it.

In the outlying parts, an exquisite neatness prevailed. Small, even humble homes, had their patches of lawn and tiny vegetable plots that were as lovely as rose gardens, so beautifully were they laid out and cared for. Every building seemed fresh with paint.

"Even the skies look awfully blue," Dulcie told herself. "Just like the babies' eyes."

Her wanderings were delightful; the people were so friendly. They seemed to know, down to the least little toddler, that the pretty fraulein had come in the beautiful airship, for there were pleasant greetings for her wherever she went. A cheery "Guten Morgen, Fraulein," and as likely as not a posy offered over a fence. When they found that she spoke their own tongue, they would scarcely let her go.

She reached the hotel just in time to prepare for a luncheon given for her by the Friedrichshafen Association of Housewives. She found numbers of stiff and crackly ladies, from bright-eyed old grandmothers proudly wearing the fashions of forty years ago, to demure brides with soft eyes and pleasant voices that almost made the German gutturals pleasing. Dulcie had a good time, and when she took leave of her cordial hostesses was presented with a souvenir. She thought it was a small feather bed, but it was an eiderdown quilt! It was a lusty quilt, fully six inches thick, and covered with intricate patchwork, the handiwork of the energetic grandmothers. Dulcie was completely overcome.

All that afternoon Mr. Hammond and his staff spent at the landing field, where the Moonbeam was being looked over, inch by inch, by her own crew and the German experts as well.

To the surprise of all, two small holes, not larger than lead pencils, were found piercing the very tip of her nose. Inside, the metal was fused! She had been struck by lightning during the storm. The injury was soon repaired. Oil and gas were shipped, every bag looked over, and every instrument tested for the long flight over the Siberian wastes.

David thrilled at the thought of this part of the flight. It was largely unknown territory, where there was no aid to be had in case of accident. With Red, he himself went over and over the ship, until they knew that she was tuned up to concert pitch.

At five, the party started for Berlin. The city is only forty miles from Friedrichshafen. After a fine dinner with the city officials and a number of officers, they went to the opera, where boxes were reserved for them. David stood in the back of the commander's box, admiring Dulcie from afar. She was completely surrounded by a group of dashing young lieutenants, who were utterly captivated by her beauty and charm.

It was twelve o'clock before the last strains of Wagner's immortal theme died away, and they were escorted to a supper, after which they drove back to Friedrichshafen, Mr. Hammond and the older of the German officers sleeping quite openly.

Friday was their last day in Friedrichshafen, and Mr. Hammond was himself host at a luncheon. There was great good fellowship, and a loud chorus of German songs. The crew of the Moonbeam had gone to the landing field, where they were eating much food as the guests of the German crews. Directly after Mr. Hammond's luncheon had come to an end, he found a chance to speak to David.

"How much gas did you put on?" he asked.

"Ten thousand feet," said David promptly.

"Did they varnish the propellers?"

"Yes, sir. Everything is in order. We could start in ten minutes if necessary."

"I think we will go shortly after ten. Most of these people whom we know, with a million or so more, want to meet us at the field and say Auf Wiedersehen, so we must not go ahead of time."

"We have had a great reception, haven't we?" said David. "To a shy little country boy like me, it has been rather overwhelming."

"Huh!" said Mr. Hammond, "I'm reeling in my tracks. By the way, when have you seen Florsheim?"

"I was up at the hospital early this morning, and once yesterday. I will go say good-bye before I leave for the field. What rotten luck that was, wasn't it?"

"A mean break," agreed Mr. Hammond.

"I think poor Florsheim feels pretty low over it. He is enough better now to think a little."

"Have you seen Fraine?" asked the commander. "They just let me look in on him after the operation."

"No, I haven't seen him, but it really doesn't matter, because it will be days before he knows anyone. Poor old Fraine! I certainly hope the next time I am captain, there won't have to be a war staged to get me the job."

"I'm sorry about Fraine, and Florsheim, too," said Mr. Hammond, "but it was an accident that might have occurred wherever Fraine had happened to be. And as far as you go, David, well, boy, I am well satisfied with you." He patted David's shoulder in a way that added value to his brief praise.

"Wonder where Dulcie and the professors are," he continued. "I hope they haven't gone off on some jaunt of their own. I clean forgot to tell them that we are going out in a powerboat to see the lagoons and the coast line. See if you can find them, will you?"

David ran the quarry to earth in the lounge. Doctor Sims had just heard of another very old graveyard some distance from the city, but the others succeeded in persuading him to postpone indefinitely his contemplated pilgrimage thereto, for the lesser pleasure of an afternoon on the water.

The launch was a gorgeous thing, with mahogany planking and silver fittings. It was a calm day, and the water was scarcely broken by a ripple. The launch shot through the water at furious speed, and the young naval officer, whose guest they were, asked Mr. Hammond if he cared to go faster.

"No, I don't think so, thanks. I am rather timid, you see."

A general laugh went up.

"How cruelly the commander must suffer, six thousand feet in the air," laughed the host.

"That's different," said Mr. Hammond, laughing at himself. "There is something so upsetting about this."

They went slower after that, and were able to see the beauties of the sea and shore line.

"This actually makes me want to be a poet," mused Doctor Trigg.

"You are one, dang it!" said Doctor Sims, violently.

"Me? Why, I never wrote a line of poetry in my life!"

"You do worse; you think it. I can feel it stewing around inside of you. If it wasn't for me, Martin, you would just be another nuisance to humanity. But I choke you off-I choke you off!"

"Now that's kind of you, Nicholas, but this scene ought to be excuse enough for anyone. Even you, Nicholas. How does it make you feel? Be honest!"

Doctor Sims reflected.

"Like a normal human being," he said. "Nice day, nice boat, nice scenery, much obliged to our host. Doesn't that cover everything?"

Doctor Trigg laughed heartily. "Sims," he said, "you are a 'gem of purest ray serene'."

"There-you-go!" said Doctor Sims.

"Well," said Dulcie, "it seems to me that you each say the right thing, always."

"Thank you, my dear," said Doctor Trigg.

"Har!" said Doctor Sims.

Long shadows spent themselves across the lagoon as they returned to Friedrichshafen. Mr. Hammond and David, accompanied by their host of the afternoon, were driven at once to the hospital, where Mr. Hammond gave last instructions for the care of his two officers. Back to the hotel, then, and at seven dinner was served.

The many bells in the city had struck nine before the company rose. Dulcie and David wandered out into the lobby.

"Gold lace," remarked Dulcie, glancing about. "Did you ever see so much of it?"

"Someone told me that there is much less than in the days of the Empire," said David.

"Well, it must have been sewed all over them," sighed Dulcie. "It must be heavy stuff to wear."

"What do those huskies care for a little weight more or less?" demanded David. "Gosh, they are big fellows!"

"They are no larger than you," said Dulcie. "And very little larger than Red, and daddy is taller than a lot of them, but not so thick. Only Wally looks small." She giggled wickedly. "Really, doesn't he look funny? The way he scowls, and stares up at them! But then," she went on gloomily, "look at me! I'm shorter than Wally. See how I have to look up at 'em."

"Yeah; they love it. But at that Wally isn't so short; he's just about a scant average. The rest of us are all so big. Why, when I was a kid, I used to worry for fear I would be too big to fly."

"Children are funny, aren't they?" agreed Dulcie. "Here's our car; let's go out to the field. I'll tell daddy we have gone."

She leaned back in the car, with a sigh of relaxation.

"It has been wonderful, hasn't it? Surely they won't be half as glad to see us in Tokio. Here, of course, they feel a great interest on account of the Graf Zeppelin. And of course she did blaze the way; we are just beating her time."

"If we can," hedged David. "We mustn't crow. We are three hours behind her time, now."

"We will make it up," said Dulcie, easily. "Oh, David, I have so many cares. I have shipped home all the lovely presents people here have given me, but I can't express the live stock."

"Koko?" asked David.

"Koko! Heavens, no! I wish it was Koko. David, I have two love birds, four German Roller canaries, a kitten, and a marmoset."

"A marmoset!" repeated David. "Why, that's a monkey, isn't it?"

"A very little bit of a one," said Dulcie, groaning. "One of those aviators gave it to me. He brought it over from Africa one day."

David howled. He laughed so hard that people looked around at der grosse Amerikaner, who was making so much noise.

"Oh, won't it be fun when your father sees that menagerie? The air will be just full of love birds, and monkeys, and rolly-canaries, and kittens."

"You are showing a cloven foot," she said. "Don't you like pets?"

David sobered down.

"Truly, I do, and I could be happy forever if I could have a couple of love birds, and some canaries, and a kitten, and you-your marmoset," he added quickly, warned by Dulcie's prim mouth.

"That's better, big boy, and when we get home perhaps I will give you some of them. The marmoset, and maybe my best love-bird! But now," she added, all too briskly, "we'll soon be back on the Moonbeam. I've a lot to do, and there will no doubt be thousands of tüchtiger officers, waiting to say Auf Wiedersehen."