CHAPTER XVII

A SUCCESSFUL FLIGHT

“Well, boys,” remarked Mr. Glassford as the flap of the tent was closed on the curious crowd that surged forward, “are you satisfied with the ship?”

“We sure are,” answered Jerry. “It did better than I thought it would.”

“Even if we did have an accident,” added Ned.

“That accident was nothing,” declared Mr. Glassford. “It showed that even when one does happen we are as safe in the upper air as we are on the earth. But I think I will change the propellers. I want to make them four-bladed. That will give us more power, and our motor will stand it. We can then navigate against a pretty strong wind.”

“How long will it take?” asked Bob. “I’m anxious to go up again.”

“About two days. Then we’ll try another flight. I think we can take a little heavier load, too.”

“Then can I go along?” asked Andy eagerly.

“You’re not much of a load, but I guess you can go,” spoke Jerry. “Well, I guess we can now call ourselves balloonists, aeroplanists or whatever is the proper title. We’ve made our first flight.”

“And it won’t be the last,” added Ned. “This is better than any of the machines did at the Broadlands exhibition.”

“I told you I could build a better ship than any they had there,” remarked Mr. Glassford quietly. “Well, boys, suppose we get right to work on the new propellers.”

They lost no time, and having the material on hand were able in two days to fit them to the shafts. The broken chain was mended, and the motor ship _Comet_ was ready for another flight. No announcement was made of it, as they wished to avoid attracting a crowd, but the news spread in some manner--perhaps Andy Rush couldn’t keep quiet about his part in it--and there was quite a gathering when once more the big machine shot toward the sky.

“This is--this is glorious!” cried Andy as he sat in the little cabin with the boys and watched the earth dropping away from beneath them.

“Now don’t get excited and talk fast, or you might heat a journal bearing and set fire to the gas in the bag,” cautioned Jerry. “You have to be careful aboard a motor ship, Andy.”

“I will. But this is certainly great!”

Mr. Glassford now started the motor from the pilot tower where he was, and the _Comet_ shot forward. It certainly went faster and better with the large propellers, and made fine progress against rather a stiff breeze. The ship was under perfect control, and Mr. Glassford was able to direct it up or down, to right or left, or around in big circles as suited his fancy.

“Marvelous! marvelous!” cried Professor Snodgrass. “It is wonderful what strides science is making these days. Now, if I could only see some of the rare insects which I know must live in the regions of the upper air I would be perfectly happy.”

“There’s some sort of a bug!” exclaimed Andy, pointing to a small black object sailing through the air. “Maybe that is a new kind.”

Instantly the professor was all attention. He leaped to his feet, and with his small, long-handled net in readiness he watched the progress of the large insect.

“It is a new kind of June bug,” he announced. “Very large, and with green and red wings. Oh, I must have that! It is worth considerable. No museum in America has one, and there are only a few specimens in Europe. It is rather late for June bugs to be flying, though. Could you put the ship a little more to the left, Mr. Glassford? I want to catch him.”

“That’s something new--using a big motor ship to catch a June bug,” remarked the inventor with a smile. But he shifted the fish-tail rudder, and the _Comet_ obediently swerved over closer to the big, humming June bug.

But the insect apparently did not like the strange, big white-winged creature that was coming so close, and it made a sudden dart upward.

“After it!” cried the professor. “I must have it!”

Mr. Glassford tilted the ascending rudder so as to pull the ship upward, and it answered instantly, shooting toward the sky on an angle of about twenty degrees. This time the bug did not change its course.

The professor hurried aft to a little cockpit, in which the motor was located. As he did so the bug shifted its course, and took a position just above, and a little ahead of the pilot house. There it remained, keeping up a speed equal to that of the _Comet_.

“Don’t move, now! Don’t frighten it! I’ll have him in a minute!” cried the scientist, hurrying forward. He mounted to the top of the small pilot house, right under the elevation rudder, and then thrust out his long-handled net. He had the small cord bag almost over the flying June bug when something happened.

The net was whirled from the professor’s grasp as if a giant had plucked it from him, and then it was sent over the side of the ship and down toward the earth. At the same instant there was a crash of wood, and the port propeller ceased revolving.

“What’s happened?” cried Jerry excitedly.

“The professor got his net in the way of the flying blades,” explained Mr. Glassford as he quickly shut off the motor to see what damage had been done.

“There goes the bug,” said the scientist sorrowfully, as if that was all that mattered.

“Yes, and there goes your net,” added Ned. “I hope it doesn’t hit any one down on the earth. That’s one disadvantage of living down there,” he went on. “You’re liable to be struck with things falling from airships.”

“I--I hope I haven’t damaged the craft,” spoke the professor contritely when he realized what had happened.

“Nothing but what can easily be repaired,” said Mr. Glassford. “The net handle must have broken, and a piece of it has become wedged in the sprocket chain that operates the propeller. I will ungear that one, and we’ll see what we can do by simply using the other. It will be a good test.”

The inventor seemed to take advantage of every accident, the boys thought. He started the motor again, and though the ship did not make as much speed as before, it sailed along fairly well. The slight tendency to go around in a circle, caused by using only one propeller, was counterbalanced by changing some of the planes, and they made a flight of a mile or more, sailing in various directions.

“Now I want you boys to get acquainted with the mechanism,” said Mr. Glassford. “You must take turns steering and managing the ship. Jerry, suppose you begin. Come up here in the pilot house and I’ll initiate you.”

Jerry’s knowledge of an automobile stood him in good stead, though he found that the _Comet_ answered her rudders much more readily and quickly than did the auto or a motor boat. When Jerry had been taught the use of all the wheels, levers and appliances, it was the turn of Ned and then of Bob.

While his chums were learning how to steer Jerry took a walk all around the craft. Then he peered over the side, thinking he saw something dangling underneath.

It was a rope, with a stake attached, and he bent over to haul it in. He had just accomplished this when he uttered a cry of dismay:

“There it goes!”

“What?” asked Bob, who was approaching.

“My pocketbook! It just dropped out of my pocket.”

“Did you have much in it?”

“About a hundred and fifty dollars. I was going to pay some bills for mother after we came down.”

“Too bad! Did you see where it landed?”

“No.”

Nobody on the airship could do anything for Jerry. All were sorry over his loss.

“Maybe you’ll get it back,” said Mr. Glassford. “Did it have your name and address in it?”

“Yes. But I think it dropped in a woods. Nobody would be likely to find it there,” returned the unfortunate youth.

They had been up in the air several hours now, and the thrill of skimming along almost on a level with the clouds was wonderful. They did not want to descend. Professor Snodgrass was not enjoying himself, however, as he saw many curious insects, and as he had no other net with him he could not catch any of the winged creatures.

“Can’t you drop down, get my net, and come back again?” he asked.

“I think we’ll go down, but I don’t want to make another ascension until I have repaired the propeller,” said Mr. Glassford. “Though I’m afraid we’d have quite a task to locate your net.”

“Never mind, I have several more. I’ll bring two along next time.”

“But please don’t get them twisted up in the propeller,” begged Jerry.

“I’ll not.”

Mr. Glassford, who had resumed charge of the ship, now sent it down to the earth in a long slant. They had returned to a position over their tent, around which quite a crowd was now collected.

“It certainly is a great ship,” commented Ned. “I wish there was another aero carnival. We could enter it, and I’ll bet we could beat anything they had.”

“There’s going to be a big airship carnival next month, boys,” said Andy Rush, who seemed to keep abreast of aeronautic matters. “I was reading about it last night.”

“There is? Where?” asked Jerry.

“Out at Park Haven, Indiana. It’s an inter-State airship contest. It’s going to be the biggest affair of the kind ever held, and there are several prizes offered.”

“What’s the matter with our entering the _Comet_?” asked Bob.

“Nothing, I guess,” replied Jerry.

“I don’t see why you can’t,” added Mr. Glassford. “We will have a chance before then to eliminate all the defects, I hope.”

“Then let’s do it!” cried Jerry eagerly. “We’ll go in a race, and maybe we’ll win.”

“I don’t see why we can’t,” observed Bob. “The _Comet_ is a dandy.”

“Well, boys, find out more particulars, and we’ll consider it,” said Mr. Glassford as he steered the ship down to a smooth place in front of the tent, after a most successful flight, in spite of the small accident.

Jerry and his chums went out on a long hunt for the lost pocketbook, but without success.

“Advertise for it,” said Chunky. “I’d offer a reward.”

“I will,” said Jerry, and he was as good as his word.