CHAPTER XXIV

“THEY’RE OFF!”

Though Hoswell, in removing the lever, had done no material damage to the ship, he had unscrewed so many bolts and nuts, and had made so many changes, that it was no small matter to get everything in proper shape in the limited time which remained.

But the boys and Mr. Glassford were earnest workers, and they had much at stake. They toiled with a will all the remainder of the day, and toward evening they saw success ahead of them.

“There, it’s on!” announced the inventor as he stepped back to gaze at the work. “Now, boys, if you’ll get busy and tighten up the stay and guy wires I’ll arrange the gas-generating machine. We’ll barely have time enough, as it is, to fill the bag.”

“And we can’t make any trial flight,” said Jerry. “All the other machines had try-outs to-day.”

“It’s out of the question for us,” responded Mr. Glassford. “But I have no fear of what the _Comet_ will do. She has proved herself able to do wonders in the air, and though we may not win the race, we will make a good attempt. Now, boys, get busy.”

It was late that afternoon when the inventor pronounced everything in good shape, save the generating of the gas, and this was proceeding as rapidly as possible.

“I think we can take a little rest now,” said Mr. Glassford. “By the way, where is the professor? He is going along to-morrow, is he not?”

“I don’t believe he’d miss it for anything,” declared Jerry. “He said he was going, when I saw him early this morning.”

“And where was that?”

“He was starting for a pond he had heard of, where he said he intended to catch a new species of pollywog--a kind with little horns on its head. But that was before we had located the lever. I don’t know whether he is aware that we will start in the race as soon as possible to-morrow morning.”

“We must tell him to-night, then. If you boys like you may go back to the hotel. Everything has been done here that can be done, and I will watch the gas machine. You might look up the professor.”

As the boys were going toward their hotel, Ned, who was a little in advance, uttered an exclamation as he turned a corner.

“What’s the matter?” asked Jerry. “Slip on a banana peel?”

“No, but I’m almost sure I saw Noddy Nixon dodge into that fruit store over there. It looked just like him.”

“I thought he had left the city,” observed Jerry. “I wish he would before the race.”

“Why?” asked Bob.

“Because, Chunky, it makes me nervous to think of what trouble he might make.”

“Oh, I don’t believe he’ll come within a mile of us,” declared Ned. “He’s too frightened. If that was him just then, he dodged like a scared rabbit.”

“All the same, I’d feel easier if he was a few hundred miles away,” went on Jerry.

“Why, what can he do?” inquired Bob.

“There’s no telling. But I think I can arrange matters so as to get ahead of him. I’m glad Ned saw him. It puts us on our guard.”

That evening Jerry was seen in conversation with the hotel detective at the inn where they stopped, and though Jerry said nothing to his chums of what he and the officer talked about, Bob and Ned heard the latter say, as their friend left him:

“I’ll get you a good man, all right, and I’ll have him on the grounds. If there’s any funny work he’ll stop it.”

“That’s what I want,” replied Jerry.

The boys found Professor Snodgrass, prowling about the big corridor of the hotel, with an intent look on his face.

“Are you looking for any one, professor?” asked Ned.

“I am looking for a very rare species of moth that I saw flying about here a while ago,” replied the scientist. “I had one specimen, but it was so small that it escaped through the meshes of my net. I went back to my room, made a net of a handkerchief, and now I expect to capture the moth. Only it seems to have flown away.”

“Did you get any horned pollywogs?” asked Jerry.

“Not a one. I fished around in the pond all day, but I caught a new kind of dragon fly, so I am just as well pleased.”

The professor was told to be on hand in the morning, and then, as they knew they had to be up early, the boys went to bed. Mr. Glassford came in about midnight, having left a man on guard in the airship tent.

After a hasty breakfast the little party, who soon expected to be sailing through the air, went to where the _Comet_ was kept. They found the gas bag fully distended, and the big ship was tugging and swaying away, almost lifting the extra heavy ballast that had been attached to counterbalance the added lifting power of the gas.

“How about food?” asked Bob rather anxiously as he walked about the motor ship. “We’re likely to be in the air for some time, aren’t we?”

“If everything goes well we shall be,” replied Mr. Glassford. “But the pantry is well stocked, Bob; don’t worry.”

“I won’t, if that’s the case,” was Chunky’s answer.

“How long a trip do you expect to make?” asked the professor, while his eyes roved about in search of any possible stray insect worth catching.

“Well, I hope to be up in the air at least two nights,” said Mr. Glassford. “Of course, one can never tell exactly what is going to happen. You know there are two prizes of twenty-five hundred dollars each. One will be given the owners of the motor ship which remains up the greatest number of hours, and the other to the machine which travels the longest distance.”

“Then there is a possibility of us getting both prizes, is there not?”

“A possibility, yes, but no probability, though I hope we will get one prize.”

To be sure that nothing was lacking to make the trip a success, Mr. Glassford, aided by the boys, went over every inch of the motor ship, and tested the motor. It seemed to work well.

An extra supply of gasolene and water had been put on board, together with plentiful stores and supplies, the recording and measuring instruments, and everything that ingenuity or science could suggest to make the trip a success.

There were five other motor ships entered in the race. They were all forms of the dirigible balloon, of various shapes and sizes, but none had the aeroplane arrangement that the _Comet_ possessed. Three of the airships were larger than the craft of the motor boys, and the remaining two were somewhat smaller. All were powerful machines, and in tests all had shown that they could go up to a great height and move with considerable speed in the air. Owing to Hoswell’s action, the _Comet_ had been tried only once at Park Haven, and aside from her owners, few felt that she would make much of a showing. The “favorite,” if one may use such a term, was a large red balloon, and when Mr. Glassford saw it coming from the big tent, not far from where the _Comet_ was sheltered, he shook his head rather dubiously.

“That’s a fine machine,” he said. “Her propellers look to be more powerful than ours, but I think we can do better if it comes on to blow, which it is very likely to do.”

“Oh, we’ll win,” said Bob confidently.

Word was given for all six of the big balloons, that were to take part in the race which was to formally open the carnival, to prepare to start. Some had already left the sheltering sheds or tents, and now the _Comet’s_ nose was poked out.

She was buoyant, even with all the weight of ballast and the restraining hands of scores of men who volunteered to help lift the motor ship out and into position. The big gas bag tugged and swayed in the network of cords as if anxious to be free.

There was some little delay at the start, and Mr. Glassford took advantage of it to give the motor another test. The crowd leaped back in alarm as a series of sudden explosions sounded from the machine, and the big propellers revolved slowly, for the full speed gear was not thrown into place.

“I guess it’ll do,” said Mr. Glassford at length. “Now, I wish they’d start.”

But it appeared that one of the ships had developed a small defect at the last moment, and it was announced that the start would be delayed an hour. Mr. Glassford and the boys entered the cabin of their motor ship and sat down.

All at once there was excited shouting off to their left. The crowd began to run in that direction.

“Something’s happened!” exclaimed Bob, hurrying from the cabin.

“It does sound so,” admitted Jerry.

The shouting came nearer. Then the crowd approached closer to the anchored _Comet_. A moment later something big and shining, with monstrous, flapping wings, and which emitted a sound like a battery of Gatling guns in action, seemed to rush past the motor ship.

“It’s a new animal! It’s a wonderful new animal!” cried Professor Snodgrass, grasping his butterfly net. “I must have it for my collection.”

The object, whatever it was, made a sudden change in its course, and came back toward the _Comet_. Bright metal wings could be seen flashing in the sun, and what looked like long steel legs or arms opened and shut, like the limbs of a kangaroo in full flight.

“It’s Abernot’s flying grasshopper!” cried Jerry. “He’s trying it! Look, here he comes!”

Sure enough, that curious form of airship was approaching at full speed.

“He may run into us!” cried Mr. Glassford.

It did seem as if there was some danger, but just as the clumsy machine was within twenty-five feet of the _Comet_ the motor, with a sob and moan, ceased working, and the flying grasshopper came to a stop. Then it could be seen that a man was seated just where the big wings were fastened to the body.

“Does it work, Mr. Abernot?” asked Jerry, calling to his friend.

“Well,” replied the inventor dubiously, “the centrifugal plates are all that I could wish. The powerful springs in the legs seem to operate, but I can’t understand why I didn’t rise in the air. The wings are certainly large enough, and they vibrated very rapidly. I can’t understand it.”

“Perhaps your apparatus is too heavy,” suggested Mr. Glassford.

“Maybe it is,” agreed the inventor of the flying grasshopper machine, which, however, was more like a jumping frog. “I believe that’s the trouble. I shall make my next one lighter.”

He started the motor again, twisted the steering wheel, and the legs began to kick out. The machine carried its inventor over the ground in a series of surprising leaps, but, though the wings flapped harder than before, there was no “flying” to it.

“Another freak,” murmured Jerry.

A man, sent from the committee in charge of the start, hurried up to announce that the repairs had been completed on the balloon which was the cause of the delay.

“Shall we go now?” asked Mr. Glassford.

“When you hear the pistol shot. It will be fired in five minutes.”

Those five minutes seemed the longest that ever a watch ticked off, but they finally passed. Mr. Glassford had stationed a man at the rope, a pull on which would release all the ballast bags at once.

_Crack!_

Through the curiously still air sounded the revolver shot. The crowd, every person in which seemed to be holding his breath, gave vent to a shout. Six great bodies leaped from the earth.

“They’re off!” yelled the throng, and then there came a perfect roar of cheers and applause that sounded like hail pattering on a tin roof.

The great race was under way.