o prevent
any danger of sliding off. And he never went out on the deck unless
Dick went also, feeling, I suppose, that he wanted his master near in
case of accidents.

"Say, that was some little excitement," remarked the young millionaire,
as he wiped the beads of perspiration from his forehead. "I thought
poor old Grit was sure a goner."

"It did look so," admitted Paul. "He's an intelligent beast, all
right."

"Takes after me," laughed Dick. "Well, let's see how Innis made out
while we were at the rescue."

"I was all ready to send her down quick, if you'd given the word," said
the cadet in the pilot house, when the party went inside the cabin.

"But she's still on her course," he added, after a glance at the
compass.

"I'm glad we didn't have to go down," Dick remarked. "As we only have
two landings we can make I want to save my reserve until we are
actually forced to use it. I wonder about where we are, anyhow? Let's
make a calculation."

By figuring out the rate of speed, and comparing the elapsed time, and
then by figuring on a scale map, it was estimated, as dusk settled
down, that they were about on the border line between Pennsylvania and
Ohio.

"We'll cross the state of Ohio tonight," spoke Dick, "and by morning we
ought to be in Indiana. Not so bad, considering that we haven't really
pushed the machine to the limit yet, except in that little brush with
the other airships."

"Yes, we are doing very well," said Mr. Vardon. "I wonder how some of
our competitors are making out? I'd like to get some news of them."

"So would I," went on Dick. "Particularly my Uncle Ezra."

Had he but known it, Mr. Larabee, in his airship with Larson and the
army man, was following close after him. For really the big biplane,
with the mercury stabilizers, which Larson had constructed, was a fine
craft, and capable. That Larson had cheated Mr. Larabee out of
considerable money in the building had nothing to do with the working
of the apparatus. But of Uncle Ezra and his aircraft more later.

"We'll get some news the first landing we make," suggested Lieutenant
McBride.

"Well, I would like to get news all right," admitted Dick. "But I
don't want to go down until I have to. Now for supper. Anything you
fellows would like, especially?"

"Green turtle soup for mine!" sung out Larry.

"I'll have pickled eels' feet," laughed Innis, who had relinquished the
wheel to Mr. Vardon. "Wait a bit, Dick, and