“Then what?”
“Why I was thinking if we got stuck, you know there’s nothing aboard to eat, and—and—we might be hungry—so I was thinking—.”
“Well, what?” as Bob hesitated.
“We might take some of those chicken sandwiches along, if your mother didn’t object. They’d come in handy.”
“Well of all things!” gasped Ned. “I believe you’d take a lunch along if you were going to a banquet, for fear you’d be hungry on the road. Go ahead, Chunky. Take all you want of the sandwiches. Here’s a bag,” and he ran to the kitchen and came back with a flour sack.
Bob gravely emptied the plate and also put some pieces of cake and a few pickles into the sack. Then carefully tying it up he followed the others from the room.
It was agreed that Jerry, from having made a more careful study of the machinery than either of the others, should act as engineer on the initial trip. Accordingly Bob and Ned drew lots to see who should steer, and the choice fell to Ned.
With the carpenters watching them curiously the boys climbed aboard and prepared to start. Jerry looked over the machinery, adjusted the valves, saw that the wires leading from the batteries to the cylinder spark plugs were all right, and cranked up. Though the fly wheel was heavy it turned easily because well adjusted and oiled.
“Hurrah! We’re off!” cried Bob.
“Not yet,” said Jerry. “I haven’t thrown in the clutch yet. You forget this is a new style of boat.”