“Then suppose you come out to my place and look her over,” suggested Mr. Montrose. “I have my auto out in front, and it won’t take long to get to my house. Besides, I want you boys to pay me a visit, anyhow. Get your baggage from the hotel, and be my guests.”
The boys could not refuse. They paid their bill at the hotel, and had their baggage taken to Mr. Montrose’s fine big house. As soon as the professor arrived there, he hurried out to a fish pond, with a small net, and was not seen again until night, when he came in with more specimens.
As for the boys, their first visit was to the barn where the airship was stored. Mr. Montrose went with them, and he smiled in appreciation at what the three chums said.
For perhaps two minutes they examined it carefully, Jerry paying particular attention to the engine. Then Bob burst out with:
“Well, it’s not so bad. I see a place where we can fasten a box on to carry some lunch.”
“Trust Chunky for that,” murmured Ned.
“The engine is powerful,” was Jerry’s opinion, “and the propellers are well made. She has speed all right.”
“And she’ll carry the three of us,” added Ned. “Of course we’ll have to come down after every trip of about a hundred miles, for she doesn’t carry gasolene for much more than that. But we can chase Noddy in ‘century’ stretches, and gasolene is easy to get around here. I say, let’s take her, and have a try.”
“We can stop for lunch anywhere if we happen to run short,” proposed Bob.
“If you say lunch again, I’ll make you eat an onion!” cried Jerry, knowing how Bob hated them.