“Not much!” remarked the tall lad grimly. He put on more speed. Then, seeing that they were going fast enough to rise in the air, he pulled the elevating rudder lever.
Up shot the Comet, while the crowd cheered. Up and up she went, leaving a much chagrined farmer running breathlessly and uselessly after it, meanwhile shaking his fists at our heroes in the air.
“Off at last!” murmured Ned with a sigh of relief. “Off to the rescue!”
“Yes, and I hope we’ll be in time to save them,” added Jerry somewhat solemnly.
“I hope we get the singing fish,” spoke the professor. “That is,” he went on quickly, “after we save those poor people in the balloon!”
Higher and higher into the air went the Comet. The tents and buildings in the aviation park looked like tiny structures now. Soon the grounds had disappeared from sight. The great city of New York and her surrounding boroughs loomed up in the distance.
In a little while they were over the great city, but so high up that the boys could not see the wondering crowds which they knew must be watching their progress.
“Over the Hudson,” remarked Bob, as they flew high above that historic river. Then they proceeded down toward the Battery, out over the Narrows, faster and ever faster, past the forts at the entrance to the harbor, out beyond Coney Island, leaving Atlantic Highlands on their right, out past Sandy Hook, on and on, the water widening more and more until finally Jerry announced.
“Over the ocean at last! Now, fellows, we’ve got to keep up our spunk and courage, and depend on ourselves. This is the riskiest trip we’ve ever undertaken. All hands keep a sharp watch out for the runaway balloon!”
Onward they sped, and they little knew what was before them.