Part 3 (1/2)

she moaned. ”'Tis the end of the world!”

”A flying machine!” murmured Randolph Rover. He gazed around hurriedly.

”Can it be the boys?”

”Oh, those boys! They will surely kill themselves!” groaned Mrs. Rover.

”They know nothing about airs.h.i.+ps!”

”Say, dar ain't n.o.buddy in dat contraption!” came suddenly from Aleck Pop. ”It am flyin' all by itself!”

”By itself?” repeated Randolph Rover. ”Impossible, Alexander! A flying machine cannot run itself. There must be somebody to steer, and manipulate the engine, and----”

”Oh, maybe whoever was in it fell out!” screamed Mrs. Rover, and now she looked ready to faint.

”We must find out about this!” returned her husband quickly. ”They had the machine in the shed back of the barn.” And he ran in that direction, followed by the colored man, and then by his wife and the cook. In the meantime the biplane soared on and on, ever rising in the air and moving off in the direction of the river.

When the others arrived they found that Tom had carried poor d.i.c.k to the wagon shed and placed him on a pile of horse blankets, and was was.h.i.+ng his wounded head with water. At the sight of her nephew lying there so still Mrs. Rover gave a scream.

”Oh, Tom, is he--is he----” she could not go on.

”He's only stunned, I guess, Aunt Martha,” was the reply. ”But he got a pretty good crack.”

”Did the flying machine do it?” queried Randolph Rover.

”Yes. We had it tied fast, but when we started the engine and the propellers it broke loose and ran right over d.i.c.k.”

”I dun tole you boys to be careful,” burst out Aleck. ”It's a suah wondah yo' ain't bof killed. Wot kin I do, Ma.s.sa Tom?” And he got down on his knees beside d.i.c.k, for he loved these lads, who had done so much for him in the past.

”He's only stunned, I think--and he's coming around now,” answered Tom, and at that moment d.i.c.k commenced to stir. Then he gave a gasp, opened his eyes, and suddenly sat up.

”Stop her! Stop her, Tom!” he murmured.

”d.i.c.k! d.i.c.k, my poor, dear boy!” burst out Mrs. Rover, and got down beside him. ”Oh, I am so thankful that you weren't killed!”

”Why--er--why!” stammered the oldest Rover boy. ”Say, what's happened?”

he went on, looking from one to another of the group. ”Where's the biplane?”

”Flew away,” answered Tom. ”You got struck and knocked down, don't you remember?”

”Ah!” d.i.c.k drew a deep breath. ”Yes, I remember now. Oh, how my head aches!” He put up his hand and noticed the blood. ”Got a pretty good rap, didn't I? What did the machine do, Tom; go to smash?”

”I don't know. The last I saw of her she was sailing over the house.”

”She kept right on a-sailin',” answered Aleck. ”Went on right ober de woods along de ribber.”

”You don't say! Then we'll have a time of it getting her back.” d.i.c.k gritted his teeth. ”Phew! how my head hurts!”

”Bring him to the house, and we'll bind his head up,” said Mrs. Rover.

”I'll wash the wound first and we can put on some witch hazel.”