ed especially for their
amusement.

When Andy took occasion to look backward again in a short time he was
amazed to discover how far distant the sails of the schooner seemed. And
it was this incident more than anything else that gave him to understand
just what amazing speed the aeroplanes were putting in their mad race
across the inland sea.

But while up to now the voyage had been without incident worthy of
mention, or accident of any kind, it could hardly be expected that this
immunity would continue to the very end. The splendid good fortune that
had hovered over both airships was apt to be brought to a sudden
termination at any moment, as Frank well knew.

CHAPTER XXII

A HYDROPLANE RESCUE

All this while Andy's nerves had been strained to a high pitch. And it
was not at all singular, therefore, that when the anticipated event came
to pass he gave vent to a loud cry.

"Looky! Frank; they're going to drop! Something must have happened to
the motor or else a plane guy broke to cripple them!" was what he almost
shrieked.

Frank was watching, though he had not uttered a single sound. He knew
that the half expected crisis was now upon them. At least his heart
found cause for rejoicing that if an accident had to happen, it affected
the other aeroplane rather than their own. It is much easier to bear
watching another's troubles than to bear your own.

What Andy had said was the truth, for the craft they were chasing after
had taken a sudden dip, and was fluttering downward.

If you have ever seen a crippled bird trying hard to keep afloat, you
can have a pretty good conception of how that biplane dropped lower and
lower toward the water.

That it did not fall like a lump of lead spoke volumes for the
magnificent management of the pilot who controlled the levers, and whose
long experience had taught him just what to do in such a dreadful
emergency as this.

Frank had instantly cut off much of their power, though they still
continued to sweep onward toward the place of the catastrophe, and were
rapidly drawing near the falling aeroplane.

Both boys stared at the terrible picture of the descending biplane
nearing the heaving surface of the lake. It seemed very serious indeed,
for any one to drop in this way; and yet how much more dangerous to fall
upon land, where the wrecked aviators would stand a good chance of
broken limbs, even though they saved their necks.

Then a cry from the impulsive Andy t