door . . . and disappeared.
“Captain!” Tintin yelled.
Nothing. Tintin called out again and again. Captain Haddock was gone! Tintin felt sudden crushing guilt. He should have known better than to send the captain out onto the wing of a plane! Captain Haddock wasn’t bold and resourceful like his ancestors. Tintin had pushed him too hard, and now—
Captain Haddock’s face appeared at Tintin’s window!
“You’re doing fine, Captain!” Tintin shouted through the glass. He was excited all over again, his guilt forgotten. It was working. Captain Haddock might yet prove worthy of his name! “Now pour the bottle into the tank. We’re running on fumes!”
“Fumes!” Captain Haddock said, as if he had made a great discovery. Something hit Tintin’s foot, and he looked down to see the bottle of medicinal spirits. It was empty!
He looked back outside to see that Captain Haddock had worked himself out onto the engine cowling. He opened the fuel cap, took a deep breath, and belched loudly into the tank. At the same time, Tintin flipped the ignition switch back and forth.
The propeller started to spin again as flames shot out from the engine compartment. “Captain, it’s working!” Tintin yelled at the top of his lungs. He didn’t know how, but Captain Haddock’s breath was apparently so saturated with alcohol that the plane’s engine could burn it!
At least for the moment. Captain Haddock sat up and blocked Tintin’s view. Tintin started yelling that he couldn’t see as Captain Haddock pointed ahead. “Land!” he sang out. “Land!”
Tintin shook his head. “We can’t! We’re not there yet!”
“No,
land
!”
A gigantic sand dune suddenly loomed into view through the part of the windshield Captain Haddock wasn’t blocking. The captain was hollering, “Turn! Turn!” Tintin pulled on the controls, jerking the plane to one side and barely missing the dune.
“Starboard! Starboard!” Captain Haddock shouted.
Tintin steered the plane to the right. He heard noises from behind him and looked back to see that the pilots had awakened and freed themselves.
Uh-oh
, he thought.
But the pilots were only concerned with saving themselves.
A flash of lightning blazed so close that Tintin could smell the ozone, and a loud thunderclap rang in his ears. Captain Haddock was catapulted off the plane’s nose, and the pilots grabbed their parachutes and jumped out.
The plane hit the top of another sand dune and flames shot out of its engine again. It skipped across the sand before plowing across the crest of a third dune and skidding to a stop, tail in the air. The impact threw Tintin through the windshield and he hung forward, the propeller spinning inches from his face!
“Hang on, Tintin! I’m coming!” Captain Haddock said from a nearby pile of sand.
Snowy got hold of Tintin’s pants and was trying to pull him to safety, but the boy was too big for the little terrier. The propeller zipped off some of Tintin’s hair. Snowy was still tugging at him as Captain Haddock clambered up the dune and pulled Tintin off the side of the plane’s nose. The propeller caught Captain Haddock’s parachute and flung him violently to the ground, but the tangled parachute lines finally brought the propeller to a halt.
Tintin sat up and shook his head. The first things he saw were Snowy lying on his side, passed out from exertion, and the two pilots hanging by their parachutes from the rusted wreckage of a cargo ship. Everything was quiet. The storm was passing, and sunlight started to break through the clouds.
“Well,” said Captain Haddock after a while. “What do we do now?”
Tintin didn’t have a good answer, so he said what he always said in situations like this. “We go on,” he said. “There’s a mystery to solve!”
LATER THAT DAY , Tintin was wishing they were in the storm again. He was also regretting his decision to lead Captain Haddock and Snowy away from the wrecked plane. They had gone from an
“Captain!” Tintin yelled.
Nothing. Tintin called out again and again. Captain Haddock was gone! Tintin felt sudden crushing guilt. He should have known better than to send the captain out onto the wing of a plane! Captain Haddock wasn’t bold and resourceful like his ancestors. Tintin had pushed him too hard, and now—
Captain Haddock’s face appeared at Tintin’s window!
“You’re doing fine, Captain!” Tintin shouted through the glass. He was excited all over again, his guilt forgotten. It was working. Captain Haddock might yet prove worthy of his name! “Now pour the bottle into the tank. We’re running on fumes!”
“Fumes!” Captain Haddock said, as if he had made a great discovery. Something hit Tintin’s foot, and he looked down to see the bottle of medicinal spirits. It was empty!
He looked back outside to see that Captain Haddock had worked himself out onto the engine cowling. He opened the fuel cap, took a deep breath, and belched loudly into the tank. At the same time, Tintin flipped the ignition switch back and forth.
The propeller started to spin again as flames shot out from the engine compartment. “Captain, it’s working!” Tintin yelled at the top of his lungs. He didn’t know how, but Captain Haddock’s breath was apparently so saturated with alcohol that the plane’s engine could burn it!
At least for the moment. Captain Haddock sat up and blocked Tintin’s view. Tintin started yelling that he couldn’t see as Captain Haddock pointed ahead. “Land!” he sang out. “Land!”
Tintin shook his head. “We can’t! We’re not there yet!”
“No,
land
!”
A gigantic sand dune suddenly loomed into view through the part of the windshield Captain Haddock wasn’t blocking. The captain was hollering, “Turn! Turn!” Tintin pulled on the controls, jerking the plane to one side and barely missing the dune.
“Starboard! Starboard!” Captain Haddock shouted.
Tintin steered the plane to the right. He heard noises from behind him and looked back to see that the pilots had awakened and freed themselves.
Uh-oh
, he thought.
But the pilots were only concerned with saving themselves.
A flash of lightning blazed so close that Tintin could smell the ozone, and a loud thunderclap rang in his ears. Captain Haddock was catapulted off the plane’s nose, and the pilots grabbed their parachutes and jumped out.
The plane hit the top of another sand dune and flames shot out of its engine again. It skipped across the sand before plowing across the crest of a third dune and skidding to a stop, tail in the air. The impact threw Tintin through the windshield and he hung forward, the propeller spinning inches from his face!
“Hang on, Tintin! I’m coming!” Captain Haddock said from a nearby pile of sand.
Snowy got hold of Tintin’s pants and was trying to pull him to safety, but the boy was too big for the little terrier. The propeller zipped off some of Tintin’s hair. Snowy was still tugging at him as Captain Haddock clambered up the dune and pulled Tintin off the side of the plane’s nose. The propeller caught Captain Haddock’s parachute and flung him violently to the ground, but the tangled parachute lines finally brought the propeller to a halt.
Tintin sat up and shook his head. The first things he saw were Snowy lying on his side, passed out from exertion, and the two pilots hanging by their parachutes from the rusted wreckage of a cargo ship. Everything was quiet. The storm was passing, and sunlight started to break through the clouds.
“Well,” said Captain Haddock after a while. “What do we do now?”
Tintin didn’t have a good answer, so he said what he always said in situations like this. “We go on,” he said. “There’s a mystery to solve!”
LATER THAT DAY , Tintin was wishing they were in the storm again. He was also regretting his decision to lead Captain Haddock and Snowy away from the wrecked plane. They had gone from an
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