ow over a small town Jack
believed to be Hempstead.

He looked at his map to make sure. It was one that he had specially
plotted out himself from observations he had made when flying in the
vicinity. Having verified their whereabouts he found that they had
flown about fifty miles, possibly a fraction more.

But at this juncture he noticed that the voice of his father pulsing
through space began to grow thin and weak. Obviously the limit of the
radio 'phone's capacity had been reached.

"Better turn back," said Mr. Chadwick.

Jack turned to Tom and gave him the necessary instructions. Then he
set over his guiding wheel, turning the big rudder at the stern of the
Wondership and she acted as obediently as a sea-going craft answering
her helm. Never had she behaved better.

They flew swiftly back toward High Towers and were soon in sight of
Rayburn. In order to test what effect the magnetism of the earth had
upon the radio messages, Jack brought the great flying craft close to
the ground. They almost grazed the treetops as they flew along.

Skimming a patch of trees they roared above a farmhouse with a great
red barn adjoining it. The barn attracted Jack's attention because of
the fact that it had a flat roof, an almost unique feature in that
part of the country. He supposed it was used to dry some sort of
produce on and noted that there were several hop-fields near at hand.
Undoubtedly the roof was used for exposing them to the sun and thus
drying the moisture from them without the expense of wood for the
drying fires usually used for the purpose.

He had hardly noted all this when there came a sudden tug at the
Wondership as if a titanic hand had reached up from below and grasped
her. She pitched wildly and, but for Jack's skill as an airman, there
might have been a serious accident. But he brought the big craft
under control by skillful manipulation.

The next instant he discovered what had occurred. The grapple of the
aircraft had, in some way, dropped from its fastenings and, trailing
behind the Wondership, had caught in the roof of the farmer's barn.

A great section of it was torn away and as Jack brought the Wondership
to rest on the roof, the only available place, for the rope was in
danger of fouling the propellers if he descended to the ground, the
farmer and a number of his men came running from the farmhouse.

In the hands of the farmer was a formidable looking shotgun. As the
Wondership settled on