Part 22 (1/2)

”What happened?” cried Jackson to Tom, as he leaned forward in his seat which was in the rear of the young inventor's

”Don't know, exactly,” was the answer, as To fall of his craft ”Sounded as though there was a treine is dead”

”Can you take her down safely?”

”Oh, yes, I guess so She's a bit out of control, but the stabilizer will keep her on a level keel Good thing we installed it”

”You're right!” said Jackson

Now they were falling earthith great rapidity, but, thanks to the gyroscope stabilizer, the ”side-slipping,” than which there is no motion more dreaded by an aviator, had nearly ceased The craft was volplaning down as it ought, and Tom had it under as perfect control as was possible under the circu else doesn't happen,” he said to Jackson, with grim humor

”Well, let's hope that it won't,” said the ood distance up yet”

They were, as a matter of fact, for the explosion, or whatever had happened to the craft, had occurred at a height of over twoAs yet Tom Sas unaware of the exact nature of the accident or its cause All he kneas that there had been a big noise and that the engine had stopped working He could not see the silencer from where he sat, as it was constructed on the underside of the motor, but he had an idea that the same sort of mishap had occurred as on the occasion when the test h the roof of his workshop

”But, luckily, this wasn't as bad,” mused Tom ”Anyhow the motor is out of business”

And this was very evident The young inventor had tried to start the apparatus after its stoppage by the explosion, but it had not responded to his efforts, and then he had desisted, fearing to cause soer his own life and that of Jackson

Down, doept Silent Saood place tonew for either him or his mechanician, and they accepted the outcome as a matter of course

”Not a very lively place down there,” remarked Jackson, as he looked over the side of the cockpit

”If we have to depend for help on any one down there, I guess we'll be a long tireed Tom They were about to land in a very lonely spot It was one he had never before visited, though he knew it could not be much more than twenty miles from his own home, as they had not flown much farther than that distance

But, somehow or other, To of it He saw below hi field, once a wood-lot, evidently, as scattered about were sorowth trees There were also a nureens--Christmas trees Jackson called them

And this was the only open place fora densely wooded one There did not appear to be a house or other building in sight where they ht seek help

”But maybe we can ht

With practiced eye he picked out a sreen trees, and there Toentle thud the rubber-tired wheels struck the Earth, rolled along a little distance, and then called to a stop

Hardly had the aeroplane ceased erly to exaht so!” Tom exclaimed ”The silencer cracked under the strain

Those exhaust gases have in of safety on this muffler, too But she's cracked, and I can't use theI didn't ask for a governht”

”That's so,” agreed Jackson ”But can't you patch it up, or go on without a et back home?”

”I'm afraid not,” Tom answered ”You see I res when I put on my new silencer Now if I took offto carry off the discharged gases, and they'd foras masks, such as they use in the trenches, and we haven't any of those with us”

”That's right,” agreed Jackson ”Well, what do you want to do? Have o for help? Or shall I go?”

”I don't knoe both can't go,” said To to patch up this machine here I'll have to send a truck after it, and diset it houard, I don't quite see the need of that This looks like the ju-off place to me I don't believe there's a native within miles I didn't see any houses as we came down, and I think Silent Sam will be perfectly safe here No one can run off with him, anyhow He'd be as hard to start as an autoone Let's leave it here and both walk back”