“You crazy news hounds,” he cried. “I thought you were goners when those explosions caught you. How did you ever get out alive?”
“We’ll thank the new motor for saving our necks,” replied Tim. “We were in trouble, believe me. The throttle stuck and the engine wasn’t getting all the gas. In a moment of desperation I smashed the throttle with my fist and opened it. A second later and we were climbing to safety.”
“Good thing you made me strap myself in,” grinned Ralph, “Or you would have lost your passenger when we took that wild west ride.”
“We were mighty lucky to get back,” said Tim. “Next time we cover a fire on an oil tank farm we’ll know enough to stay at a safe distance.”
“But think of the great action pictures we’ve got,” said Ralph.
“I’m thinking of my own neck right now,” replied Tim. “When the second explosion came and that piece of steel picked us out for a target I just said good-bye to everything. While we’re passing around the thanks for getting out alive we’ll have to include old lady gravity. The Good News was dropping earthward just fast enough for us to escape.”
“We’d better get these pictures to the office so they can use them in the final,” said Ralph.
“You take the camera and the car and go on,” said Tim. “I won’t be needed at the office for a while and I want to check over the plane and see if it suffered any serious damage. Tell Carson he’ll have to okay an order for another coat of paint.”
“I’ll wait and see how the pictures come out before I tell him,” chuckled Ralph as he got in the roadster and started for the office.
Tim and Hunter went over the Good News carefully, checking every joint and strut. Then they gave the motor a thorough test. It was sweet and true.