“Nice work,” he shouted. “I guess you’ve set a record. At least you’re the only fellow I know who looped on his first flight.”
“Who what?” cried Bert.
“You looped,” replied Andy. “You did a nice piece of flying but I’ll bet it was more luck than sense.”
“You’re right,” admitted Bert, who slumped down in his seat, glad enough that Andy was back at the controls.
Andy loafed around the field in easy circles, gradually gaining altitude. The sun was dropping over the horizon and the purple shadows that preceded night were wrapping the countryside in their soft shroud. It was a glorious feeling to be able to take to the air and for the moment forget the pressing cares which he felt around him every minute he was on the ground.
The sportster handled beautifully and Andy found himself at the six thousand foot level almost before he knew it. The air was growing colder and the shadows below deepened rapidly. He throttled down, preparatory to drifting down when he heard a cry from Bert.
The radio operator was shouting and pointing excitedly toward a bank of clouds in the east.
Andy turned and saw a large gray monoplane, traveling fast and high, above the cloud bank. The plane was different from any machine with which he was familiar and he decided to get a closer look at the stranger.
The other machine must have been up 10,000 feet and Andy opened the throttle and sent the Ace scooting upward. At eight thousand he knew the pilot of the other ship had seen him and the gray machine seemed to leap ahead with a sudden burst of speed. They were directly over Bellevue, a prohibited flying area for any except army or National Airways ships, and Andy was curious to know who this flyer was who dared to defy strict air regulations.
The sportster was fast but in less than a minute he knew the other ship was superior in speed. It was a squat, low-winged craft, evidently an all-metal machine and distinctly foreign looking in appearance. Andy made a mental note that he’d get out his design guides when he landed and find out just what make of plane it was that could pull away from his with such apparent ease. It was a useless chase and after five more minutes Andy gave up and swung the Ace back toward Bellevue while the strange ship disappeared in the south.