as
master in bringing his sky cruiser downward.

"Oh!" cried Peggy suddenly as the Golden Butterfly gave a sickening
downward drop like a stone plunging to vacancy.

But the empty "air pocket" which the craft had struck was a small one,
and the next instant the atmosphere caught the broad wings and buoyed the
aeroplane up from what seemed to be destined to be a disastrous fall.

The drop had, however, had one good effect. It had thrown the aeroplane
almost on end, and in that manner drained a few last driblets of gasolene
from the depleted tank into the feed pipes.

It was only a little fuel, but it was enough to cause the engine to
resume operations for a couple of minutes. Taking advantage of this lucky
accident, Roy drove forward, and as the propeller came once more to a
standstill the Golden Butterfly sank down into a bed of sand which made
her almost at once stationary.

"Well, we are--aerial Robinson Crusoes," exclaimed Peggy as, having
clambered out of the chassis, she stood surveying the little island which
they had so fortunately landed upon.

"Yes, and if we don't get some gasolene pretty quick we'll be Crusoes in
a mighty uncomfortable sense," commented Roy, moodily gazing about at the
surrounding sea, smooth as a sheet of glass and without the sign of a
boat upon it. Far off on the horizon there hung a three-masted schooner,
all her sails set, in the flat calm. But she was too far off to aid them
even had she been able to.

"Tell you what we'll do, let's explore the island," said Jeff Stokes
suddenly.

"Of course," cried Peggy, clapping her hands, "that's what everybody does
in story books when they are stranded on a desert island, and right after
that they always find just what they want, even down to a silver-mounted
manicure set."

"I'd like to see a tin-mounted can of gasolene," grunted Roy.
Nevertheless after seeing to the engine of the aeroplane he was willing
enough to set out with the others to explore this little spot of land in
the Sound.

It was so small that it did not take them long to reach the summit of the
low peak into which it rose in the centre.

"Oh, there's a little hut!" cried Peggy, suddenly.

Sure enough, below them, and half overgrown with tall weeds and scrub
growth, was a half ruined hut. It was doubtless the relic of some
fisherman who had once used the island as headquarters. But it had,
apparently, long lapsed into disuse.

Hardly had they spied it before Roy ma