“Surprise me?”
“Yes. By sending you a picture of daddy and me in the aeroplane. You see, my father came to Haven Point last night and called on me this morning, and he happened to know the men who are running the aero corporation. So when I begged him to take me up he agreed and we had our photographs taken just when we started.” She paused and gave a sudden shiver. “Oh, if daddy had been drowned, what would I have done!”
A little later the two boats came together and Mr. Stevenson joined his daughter in the craft manned by the Rovers.
“I scraped my side on the machine when we came down so suddenly,” explained Ruth’s father. “It hurts me yet. I think I’ll see a doctor about it when I go ashore. I must have scraped the skin pretty hard, if nothing more,” and he winced.
“We’ll row for Haven Point right away,” answered Jack.
“I suppose that’s the last of my biplane,” said the aviator. “How deep is the lake around here, do any of you know?”
“I don’t believe it’s very deep right here,” answered Gif. “Do you see that sandy beach over on the island yonder? Well, that sandbar extends out in this direction.”
“Then maybe the machine didn’t sink as far down as I thought it might,” went on Tom Bossick, for such was his name. “I’d like to mark this spot if I could.”
“Maybe you could dive overboard again and find out what became of the flying machine,” suggested Dan Soppinger. “That is, unless you feel too weak.”
“Oh, I’m all right. I went through a good deal worse than this when I was flying for Uncle Sam in France,” said Bossick, with a grin. “If you fellows are not in a hurry I’d like to find out what did become of the old lady.”