"But, I say," was Dave's further objection, "it won't do any good to drain his gasoline. There's likely a supply right here and he can reload in a few minutes. Use all your caution, Jimmie!"
"All right, I'll use all my caution and something else," was the answer as the lad moved slowly toward the aeroplane, as if to casually examine the rigging out of a boy's natural curiosity.
For some moments Dave stood fairly torn by his emotions. He was fearful that Jimmie would be discovered meddling with the mechanism and that the consequences of such discovery would be dire.
Glancing alertly from side to side, the lad stood at his post in a fever of excitement. He strove to keep his hands from trembling. His knees seemed scarcely able to support the weight of his body.
Presently the group of officers about the Kaiser seemed to have questioned the aviator to their complete satisfaction, for several turned and walked down the track toward the coach waiting for the use of the Kaiser. Others walked briskly away across the parade ground, while the aviator himself and the Kaiser walked together along the track toward the aeroplane that had brought the man to earth.
Dave was about to signal Jimmie that danger was near, when he saw that the lad was coming back. So interested were the aviator and his auditor in the conversation that was going on that they apparently did not notice the boy leaving the vicinity of the machine.
Jimmie joined Dave with an air of extreme boredness.
"What did you do, Jimmie?" asked Dave breathlessly.
"I fixed his clock, all right!" was the answer. Jimmie pointed to one of the electric lights swinging from a pole not far away.
"See that electric light?" he asked. "Well, that's the greatest invention of man. Without it the whole world would lose lots of time."