"But lead wouldn't wreck a machine so completely as that!"
"Don't you think it wouldn't!" boasted Jimmie, rather proud of the manner in which he had brought about the destruction of the magnificent machine. "Just you ask some one when you get home. Go to a machine shop and ask 'em what an unbalanced condition will do to a high-speed piece of machinery that isn't firmly fastened to a solid base."
"But I can't understand, you know," went on Dave, "just how it was done. I know that you unbalanced the apparatus, but how should that do such damage as this we see here?"
"Well, to be honest with you, I didn't expect that it would. My only thought was to slip out the big bolt, put in enough lead to fill the hole if I had time, and then let the vibration of the unbalanced machine render it impossible for the aviator to steer or handle the plane. I had not figured on anything giving way as it did."
"Then you don't want all the credit for wrecking the machine?" inquired Dave, with a twinkle in his eye. "Is that it?"
"For some time I don't want any of the credit," replied Jimmie, lowering his voice as an officer approached their position.
"Here comes a fellow," Dave stated, "that would probably be mighty glad to connect us with the incident. But I know nothing!"
"Nor I!" declared Jimmie. "I didn't even see the thing happen!"
"That's true, too, as I can easily testify," added Dave.
Their visitor proved to be none other than von Liebknecht, the officer in charge of the regiment, with whom they were now well acquainted.