illy was discovered by the Captain he ordered him
thrown overboard with the dog and the cat. But if you think it an easy
matter to catch as big and strong a goat as Billy with the fighting
propensities he had and two lively animals like Stubby and Button, you
are badly mistaken.

Two or three aviators tried to corner him and tie him up so they
could pitch him overboard, but he butted and kicked so they could not
lay hands on him. No more hands could be spared from the crew to help,
as it required all the rest to manage the ship. Stubby and Button also
put up a stiff fight as the men chased them all over the dirigible
from under chairs and tables in this stateroom and that, where they
upset things generally as the aviators tried to hit them with brooms,
mops and whatever came handy.

[Illustration]

While this was going on, the dirigible had quietly glided into its
hangar and was quickly being tied up. An aviator was chasing Stubby
with a long-handled brush when a man on the outside opened a door in
the side of the dirigible just as Stubby was passing and quick as a
wink he took advantage of it and jumped out, much to the surprise of
the man who had opened it. After him came Button and Billy, and when
the Chums' feet touched terra firma again they lost no time in leaving
that aviation field. When they had found a nice, quiet, safe place to
rest and were reviewing this last adventure, Billy said, "No more
dirigibles for me! I never want even to see one again!"

"Nor I!" said Stubby. "I am one mass of black and blue bruises from
hitting the furniture and door jambs as I rolled from one end of that
long saloon to the other."

"And I still feel sick from hanging with my head down so long when
that old dirigible traveled upside down," declared Button.

CHAPTER XI

THE OLD CROW CARRIES A MESSAGE TO NANNIE

After the Chums had rested and had a bath in a nearby lake, they lay
down in a nice shady place to plan what they would do next.

"I think the first thing I should do," said Billy, "is to send a
message to Nannie that the three of us are alive and well and are on
our way to the old farm, and to ask her, Billy Junior, Daisy and the
Twins to start for Chicago, where we will meet them in Lincoln Park as
soon as we get there. It will take them as long to come the short
distance from Fon du Lac to Chicago as it will take us to travel all
the way from New York State, as they will have to travel slower,
having t