The next stop was Miami, and here again the girls made a thorough inspection of their plane. From now on their way would be over the Caribbean, where storms might spring up without warning. Skybird must be in perfect form. And when Terry finished her inspection, the little plane was ready for the hop to Havana.
The girls congratulated themselves that everything was going along well. They were even a few hours ahead of their schedule and Terry’s face was glowing with happiness and excitement. Ahead of them was the Caribbean. She had often dreamed of making this flight over tropical waters and now she was really here.
Below her were the keys and reefs of the Florida coast spread out flat on the blue water. They were like a painting in delicate pastel shades. Crossing the line of the reefs, Skybird headed boldly out to sea. Prim watched the smooth water, fascinated by the patterns made by steamers as they cut through the water, leaving an ever widening wake behind them. She felt safe, knowing that their amphibian plane could land on the water and float.
Terry sighted the coast of Cuba first, a delicate outline seen through a haze that dimmed the view and gave it a fairy-like appearance. Soon they sighted the grim old Morro Castle, the Spanish fort, and as they came nearer and flew above it, they could see the broad avenues of the lovely city of Havana. The marble capitol was dazzlingly white in the sunshine and the colored roofs of the houses, as seen from the air, arranged themselves in a fantastic design. It was a city of gay pleasure.
Terry brought her plane down at the Havana airport with a sense of relief. The first lap of that journey was over now.
A few minutes later she was handed a telegram which read: “Allan and Syd will join you at Havana. Wait. Dad.”
Terry’s eyes blazed for a moment. “What do you think of that, Prim? Allan and Syd are coming here. We’re to wait for them! I’ll say that’s nerve! Dad thinks we can’t make the trip without the help of the boys.”
“That’s nonsense, Terry! Dad knows we’re equal to it. The boys probably want a holiday and are coming just for the fun of it. I’m going to be real glad to see them. The more the merrier, I say,” replied Prim.
“I’d be glad to see them if I thought that their trip was not just because they think that we have to be looked after,” declared Terry. “I want to make this flight without help from anybody.”
“Don’t get too independent, Terry. It doesn’t pay,” her sister cautioned her. “But right now let’s go and get some breakfast. I’m starved.”