almost in the horizon. He banked toward it, keeping altitude for now. When they got a little closer, Tintin recognized the
Karaboudjan
!
“Captain, look!” he cried out. “We’ve caught up with them!”
Also, now they knew which way to go, since the
Karaboudjan
was steaming full speed for Bagghar. Tintin took a bearing and marked it on the compass set into the instrument panel. “North Africa, that way,” he said.
“Wonderful,” Captain Haddock said. Something about his tone of voice made Tintin look at him again as they passed over the big steel ship and then out over open ocean again. His eyes popped as he saw what the captain was seeing. “But do you think we might find another way?” Captain Haddock asked. “A way that doesn’t take us through that wall of death there?”
A storm front like a solid black wall streaked with lightning loomed ahead of them. “We can’t turn back!” Tintin said. “Not now.”
From the back of the plane, he heard the pilots. “Oh, no,” they were saying again.
“Don’t worry,” Tintin said. “Remember, you didn’t think I could fly this thing, either.”
Neither of them had anything to say to that.
The plane bucked when they hit the edge of the storm, bouncing Tintin in his seat. Haddock hit his head on the cockpit ceiling. The pilots in the back were thrown into each other. They started calling out advice to Tintin, in between cries of “Oh, no!”
Tintin kept control as lightning forked alarmingly close. The plane heaved and rolled through a cloud. A cabinet in the cockpit fell open and a bunch of bottles and little boxes fell out. Tintin glanced over and saw that Captain Haddock had seized one of the bottles. Its label read MEDICINAL SPIRITS . Tintin swatted the bottle out of the captain’s hands. “No, Captain!” he said, trying to look in two directions at once. Snowy barked in alarm. “Those are for medicinal purposes only!”
“Quite right, laddie,” Captain Haddock said. “Medicinal. Got it.”
The storm was getting worse. Tintin couldn’t believe it. As if a giant had caught it and thrown it like a paper airplane, the seaplane suddenly flipped into a barrel roll. Everyone banged and crashed in the cabin. Tintin righted the plane, but then it went into a steep dive. Tintin felt himself lifting away from the seat. He had a grip on the controls, which kept him anchored, but Captain Haddock floated up into the air. So did Snowy and the pilots. Somehow Captain Haddock had opened the bottle of medicinal spirits when Tintin wasn’t looking, and the liquid floated around the cabin in globules.
Captain Haddock strained toward them, but just then, Tintin regained control of the plane and everyone crashed back to the floor . . . but then it went into another dive. The spirits spilled from the floating bottle as Captain Haddock cried out in dismay.
“No!” Tintin shouted. Captain Haddock looked at him guiltily. But Tintin didn’t care about the spill. He was looking out the cockpit windows, watching as the plane’s propeller was fluttering to a stop.
On the instrument panel, a red light flashed next to the fuel gauge.
“Fuel tank!” Tintin said. “It’s almost empty. Captain, I’ve got a plan! The alcohol in that bottle might give us a few more miles. I need you to climb out onto the pontoons and pour it into the fuel tank.”
Captain Haddock looked stricken. “Christopher Columbus!” he said.
He stood up and buckled on a parachute. One hand holding on to his hat, he opened the cabin door. Immediately his beard started blowing in the wind. At his feet, the two pilots lay quiet. They’d been knocked out by the plane’s diving and bouncing. “There’s a storm out there!” Captain Haddock said, as if Tintin hadn’t noticed. “And lightning! And it’s raining!”
“Do you call yourself a Haddock?” Tintin challenged him.
Captain Haddock glared at him. He stuck out his chin, drew himself up to his full height, took a step out the
Karaboudjan
!
“Captain, look!” he cried out. “We’ve caught up with them!”
Also, now they knew which way to go, since the
Karaboudjan
was steaming full speed for Bagghar. Tintin took a bearing and marked it on the compass set into the instrument panel. “North Africa, that way,” he said.
“Wonderful,” Captain Haddock said. Something about his tone of voice made Tintin look at him again as they passed over the big steel ship and then out over open ocean again. His eyes popped as he saw what the captain was seeing. “But do you think we might find another way?” Captain Haddock asked. “A way that doesn’t take us through that wall of death there?”
A storm front like a solid black wall streaked with lightning loomed ahead of them. “We can’t turn back!” Tintin said. “Not now.”
From the back of the plane, he heard the pilots. “Oh, no,” they were saying again.
“Don’t worry,” Tintin said. “Remember, you didn’t think I could fly this thing, either.”
Neither of them had anything to say to that.
The plane bucked when they hit the edge of the storm, bouncing Tintin in his seat. Haddock hit his head on the cockpit ceiling. The pilots in the back were thrown into each other. They started calling out advice to Tintin, in between cries of “Oh, no!”
Tintin kept control as lightning forked alarmingly close. The plane heaved and rolled through a cloud. A cabinet in the cockpit fell open and a bunch of bottles and little boxes fell out. Tintin glanced over and saw that Captain Haddock had seized one of the bottles. Its label read MEDICINAL SPIRITS . Tintin swatted the bottle out of the captain’s hands. “No, Captain!” he said, trying to look in two directions at once. Snowy barked in alarm. “Those are for medicinal purposes only!”
“Quite right, laddie,” Captain Haddock said. “Medicinal. Got it.”
The storm was getting worse. Tintin couldn’t believe it. As if a giant had caught it and thrown it like a paper airplane, the seaplane suddenly flipped into a barrel roll. Everyone banged and crashed in the cabin. Tintin righted the plane, but then it went into a steep dive. Tintin felt himself lifting away from the seat. He had a grip on the controls, which kept him anchored, but Captain Haddock floated up into the air. So did Snowy and the pilots. Somehow Captain Haddock had opened the bottle of medicinal spirits when Tintin wasn’t looking, and the liquid floated around the cabin in globules.
Captain Haddock strained toward them, but just then, Tintin regained control of the plane and everyone crashed back to the floor . . . but then it went into another dive. The spirits spilled from the floating bottle as Captain Haddock cried out in dismay.
“No!” Tintin shouted. Captain Haddock looked at him guiltily. But Tintin didn’t care about the spill. He was looking out the cockpit windows, watching as the plane’s propeller was fluttering to a stop.
On the instrument panel, a red light flashed next to the fuel gauge.
“Fuel tank!” Tintin said. “It’s almost empty. Captain, I’ve got a plan! The alcohol in that bottle might give us a few more miles. I need you to climb out onto the pontoons and pour it into the fuel tank.”
Captain Haddock looked stricken. “Christopher Columbus!” he said.
He stood up and buckled on a parachute. One hand holding on to his hat, he opened the cabin door. Immediately his beard started blowing in the wind. At his feet, the two pilots lay quiet. They’d been knocked out by the plane’s diving and bouncing. “There’s a storm out there!” Captain Haddock said, as if Tintin hadn’t noticed. “And lightning! And it’s raining!”
“Do you call yourself a Haddock?” Tintin challenged him.
Captain Haddock glared at him. He stuck out his chin, drew himself up to his full height, took a step out the
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