Part 43 (2/2)

”Maybe not,” agreed Stubbs. ”But I haven't done mine yet.”

”Why--”

”My duty,” said Stubbs, ”is to get back to some place where I can send an account of this feat to the New York _Gazette_. Believe me, it will be some scoop.”

”Scoop?”

”Yes. I mean no other paper will have the facts as I have them.”

”All right, Stubbs,” said Chester. ”I hope you get your scoop.”

”I'm going to get it,” said Stubbs, excitedly, ”if I have to walk over the body of the Kaiser himself to do it.”

”That's the way to talk,” said Chester. ”Confidence is the greatest a.s.set in the world.”

”It's not confidence,” said Stubbs. ”I've just got to do it. Why, if my boss knew I had something like this in my hands and I didn't get it to him I'd lose my job.”

Chester made no reply to this; instead, he bent over Hal who was still tinkering with the engine of the aeroplane.

”How are you making it?” he asked.

”I don't seem to be able to fix it,” returned Hal. ”Say! you two fellows walk away a bit and keep an eye open for possible enemies. We don't want to be caught off our guard here.”

Chester and Stubbs did as Hal directed, though the latter mumbled to himself as he took his position some distance away.

”That's the trouble with these contraptions,” he said. ”Always out of whack. If a man had a good horse now--”

He broke off and continued to mumble something unintelligible to himself.

”I've found it,” cried Hal now, from the aeroplane. ”I was working on the wrong part. I'll have it fixed in a jiffy.”

Chester made no reply, but Stubbs brightened up wonderfully.

”That's the talk!” he cried. ”Fix her up, Hal, and get a move on.”

Hal smiled to himself as he tinkered with the engine.

Hal was deep in his work when his attention was attracted by a sudden cry of alarm from Stubbs.

”Germans!” cried the little man, and without stopping to look again, he dashed toward Hal.

At almost the same moment Chester saw a force of the enemy advancing toward him. He, too, uttered a cry of alarm and dashed toward the place where Hal still bent over the aeroplane.

Stubbs danced up and down and chanted excitedly:

”Hurry up, Hal! Hurry up! Here they come!”

”Shut up, Stubbs!” exclaimed Hal, straining all his energies to fix the break in the plane. ”I'll have it in a minute.”

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