“Watch him,” ordered the instructor.
With a quick pull on the lever that controlled the rudder, Tom sent himself aloft, but not before a curious thing happened.
On the ground where it had been dropped was a tunic, or airman's fur-lined jacket. As Tom's machine “zoomed,” the tail skid caught this jacket and took it aloft.
Tom did not seem to be aware of this, though he must have felt that his machine was a bit sluggish in the climbs. However, he went through with his performance, doing some beautiful “zooming,” and then, as he was flying high and getting ready to do a spiral nose dive, the tunic detached itself from his skid and fell.
Just at this moment Jack came out from the hangar and, looking aloft and noting Tom's machine, saw the falling jacket. His heart turned sick and faint, for, unaware of what had happened, he thought his chum had tumbled out while at a great height. For the tunic, turning over and over as it sailed earthward, did resemble a falling body.
“Oh, Tom! Tom! How did it happen?” murmured Jack.
The others, laughing, told him that it was nothing serious, but Jack looked a bit worried until the empty jacket fell on the grass and, a little later, Tom himself came down smiling from aloft, all unaware of the excitement he had caused.
CHAPTER XI. OVER THE LINES
“Well, I guess we stay downstairs, to-day,” remarked Tom to Jack, the day following their exhibition flights for the benefit of the air students.