CHAPTER XVIII
AN AEROPLANE CHASE
"Here it is, and everything seems all right!" remarked Andy as theyreached the field, and found the hydro-aeroplane just where they hadleft it.
"Yes, no one has disturbed a thing, which I think is lucky for us,"Frank went on to say, as he proceeded to put back the small part he hadtaken away with him, and thus place the machine in perfect condition forbusiness.
Andy moved about, looking to see that all obstacles threatening tointerfere with a successful launching were removed from in front of thewaiting aeroplane.
So minutes passed, until at least ten had crept by since their coming.Frank had everything tuned up, and knew of not the least chance where hecould improve the conditions of planes or motor, for all seemed to be asnearly perfect as they could be made.
Both boys cast frequent glances aloft, and as a rule toward thatparticular quarter where they presently expected to see somethingmoving. They were keyed up to a pretty lively pitch of excitement,though Frank did not show it half as much as his younger cousin, who wasalways affected this way.
Then suddenly Andy called out:
"There she rises, Frank! Oh! look at them boring up, will you, in thatcorkscrew spiral way! Tell me that Casper Blue doesn't know hisbusiness; Perc will never get as much out of his biplane as that old andexperienced aviator means to. Are we going to follow suit, Frank?"
"Get aboard!" came the prompt answer; and it was almost laughable to seehow nimbly Andy obeyed this order.
Frank lost no time in starting, and they went away with a rush, passingover the abandoned field that was now given up pretty much to thistlesand burdocks, with a sprinkling of iron-weeds.
It was rather rough sledding, to be sure, and as the bicycle wheelspounded over the turf the boys had to hold on to keep their seats.
But when sufficient momentum had been acquired, Frank elevated the foreplane, and immediately there was the greatest relief felt; for theybegan to rise in the air, and all that terrible bumping stopped forgood. The change was wonderful, and it felt as though they were glidingon velvet.
"We're off!" exclaimed Andy, exultantly.
Frank said nothing. He did not possess quite the same sanguine naturethat his cousin had. Andy seldom allowed thoughts of possible disasterto annoy him, but on the other hand Frank was always trying to head offtrouble.
He realized that with this launching of their new hydro-aeroplane theywould be entering upon an extra hazardous game, the outcome of which noone could foresee. The two men whom they expected to follow must bedesperate fellows, who would resort to almost any hazard rather thanallow themselves to be caught.
And it was not an amateur aviator like Percy Carberry who was opposedto them now, but one who had had long experience in the art ofharnessing a flying machine to do his bidding.
Once they left the ground behind them, Frank started to spiral upwardmuch in the same way the others had done. One thing he was glad of, andthis was the presence of Andy alongside. Casper Blue might be a daringair pilot, but with his companion a perfect greenhorn in all thatpertained to the art, he would be more or less handicapped. A suddenincautious movement on the part of the novice might prove the undoing ofthe precious pair.
Once they had risen to a certain height, and the aeroplane was turned soas to follow the other air craft, which was speeding away, headeddirectly into the north. Of course, those aboard must know that theywere being chased. They could not have failed to see the hydroplane, (asit is generally called, though the true word to cover it would behydro-aeroplane) even before it left the field, once they started toascend.
"Well, we're off at last!" commented Andy, in a satisfied tone, when thecourse had been taken, and they were following directly after thefugitive air craft.
"And let's hope we'll come out of this adventure as luckily as we haveon other occasions," remarked sober Frank.
"Wonder if Perc happens to be looking this way right now," Andy went onto say. "Chances are, that he's got his old field glass leveled, and issearching the heavens right along, in hopes of locating his lostmachine. And say, if he does glimpse this fine parade right now, can'tyou see him turning green with envy to think of another glorious chancecoming to the hated Bird boys. Oh! my, oh! me! but it would be gall andwormwood to Perc. Just as like as not he'd take a fit!"
But Frank was not giving any time to such thoughts as these. Moreserious affairs engaged his attention. When once he left the firmfooting of the solid earth, and invaded the upper currents where up tolately man had never traveled, save in a drifting balloon, he always putlevity aside, and paid strict attention to business.
The panorama below them was constantly changing, and the boys could notbut admire the pictures thus presented to their gaze. No matter howoften one may go up a thousand feet or more above the earth, it is nextto impossible to weary of the wonderful scenes that keep passingconstantly in review as the buzzing motor keeps carrying the aeroplanealong over plain, valley, hills, forests, rivers, and villages or townsthat chance to lie in the route.
To Andy it was all somewhat in the nature of a grand picnic, for hisnature was not one to contemplate peril at a distance. Had he and Frankjust come out for an hour's spin he could not have shown more delight,as they went whirling through space, with that rival flier a mile or twoahead.
"Do you think we're gaining on them?" asked Andy, after some time hadelapsed, and the country below began to get unfamiliar, proving thatthey had now come beyond the range of any previous trip taken to thenorthward of Bloomsbury.
"I don't know for sure," replied his cousin. "Sometimes I think we are,and then again I'm a little in doubt. Suppose you get the glass out, andsee what they're doing, Andy?"
"Well, I'm a great one, forgetting all about that bully marine glass."As he said this Andy hastened to feel for the article in question, whichwas always kept handy, because there never could be any telling whenthey might want to use it in a hurry.
"Go slow; no use rocking the boat," sang out the pilot, who was forevercautioning his companion with regard to quick motions when seated insuch a delicately balanced contraption as a biplane. "It's a good thingthat we've got that new fool-proof contrivance that Mr. Wright invented,on this machine right now, because only for that you'd be giving me morethan a few scares when you swing from one side to the other so quickly."
A minute later, and Andy, who had been looking through the glasses,spoke again.
"It's a little hard to cover them steadily, because they keep risingand dipping just like we are; but I can see that little Casper Blue, andthe man alongside of him is a much larger chap."
"Of course it's Casper who's piloting the biplane?" remarked Frank.
"Yes, and he knows the ropes, let me tell you. I don't believe there aremany professional birdmen today who can go ahead of that man. I onlywish you could take a squint through here, and watch how he manipulatesthe levers, in spite of that stiff arm of his. Only for that, and he'dstill be in the harness, and doing stunts that'd have Beachy left farbehind."
"Either that, or else he'd be buried," remarked Frank, drily.
"Oh! well, the less we have to say about that the better I'll feel,Frank. If you're going in for aviation at all you've just got to forgetall about being in constant danger; though I hope I'll never get so I'llbe reckless like Perc Carberry. But Frank, sure we seem to be picking upa little on that crowd. And from the way they keep looking back all thewhile, I guess they know it too."
"Perhaps we are," Frank went on to say, "but if I really thought so I'dcut down a peg or two in our speed."
At that Andy set up a howl; at least he voiced his objection.
"Well, that's a queer stunt for you to do, I must say, Frank. Here weare chasing after our game, and the very first time we believe we'regaining some, you inform me you mean to cut down our speed. Is that theway to win the game, tell me?"
"But we don't want to come up with them while we're booming along likethis, you understand," ventured Frank
, as he gently moved a lever just atrifle; "this sort of racing is a lot different from what you'd do onthe ground down there. Suppose we did come abreast of that biplane rightnow, what good would that do us? Could we put out a hand and arrest theyeggmen? Wouldn't it be more likely that such desperate men as thesemust be, would try some sort of game looking to disable our craft, andsending us tumbling down to our death? No, excuse me from coming toclose quarters up here with such hard cases. Honest now, Andy, if theybegan to circle around as if they meant to turn on us, I'd think it myduty to run!"
"Oh!" exclaimed Andy, "you mean you'd coax 'em to follow us back toBloomsbury, and then give themselves up, is that it, Frank? Oh! butyou're a cunning chap, sure you are. But on the level now, what is ourgame, if it doesn't mean we're going to overtake 'em?"
"I'll tell you, Andy. We ought to keep following after them as far as wecan, and in that way learn where they drop. If we get a chance to senddown an occasional message to be sent on to Bloomsbury so much thebetter. I've written several such out, and have the cord to tie them toweights. Given a chance, when we're passing over some town perhaps wecan get one such message sent on home. Even that would tell them wherewe were, and what the chances are."
"Great game, Frank! Suppose you let me have those messages, and I'll beamusing myself getting the same ready to heave, when you say the word.We c'n play that this is a war game, and we've been sent out to dropbombs on the fortifications of the enemy. We've done it with rocks, andwe can throw pretty straight; so it seems to me we ought to get somesort of fun out of it all around."
Frank told him where he could find the written messages in his outerpocket; and for some time Andy was quiet, busying himself in fasteningsome sort of anchor to each piece of paper, sufficient to carry itearthward, despite the breeze that at the time might be blowing.
All at once Andy noticed that they were going quite slowly in comparisonwith the pace they had lately been "hitting up."
"What's happening, Frank?" he exclaimed, almost alarmed lest someaccident had befallen the reliable little motor, which up to now hadnever failed them, no matter how great the call upon its resources. "Whyare we slowing up? Is there something gone wrong, and must we own up tobeing beaten?"
"Look ahead at the biplane!" was all that Frank replied.
Aeroplane Boys Flight Page 18
