“Now,” he exclaimed, “I remember what was on my mind! I’ve been tryin’ to remember it ever since I made my swing for life. When Roy called for help down here I was watchin’ Brooklyn bridge just ahead of us. Did you go under it or over it?”
“Over it. Why?”
“I knew we were so close to it that I was afraid you couldn’t get up quickly enough. And then, just when I figured out that you’d go under it, those Sound steamers and tugs showed up.”
“I had to go over,” explained Alan, “but there wasn’t much to spare. It took all our surface and a sharp lift. But we made it.”
Ned was now standing in the store room door with a hand on the pilot ladder. Suddenly his face changed and livened up as if he had just taken a plunge in his morning tub.
“Boys,” he exclaimed, “I reckon I’m a fine example of selfishness. Buck, and you too Bob! I reckon you’re thinkin’ I’m goin’ to write you letters to thank you for what you’ve done. I’ve pretty near made a failure of our start and I’ve put you boys where you had to take big chances. I’ll have to be pretty good the rest of the trip. I won’t say much to Bob because he knows. But Buck, you’re all right. Gimme your paw!” As Ned tried to walk to Buck’s side he limped and would have fallen had not Stewart caught him.
“You know why I did what I did?” laughed Buck. “I didn’t know what I was doin’. I was crazy, out o’ my head from ‘sky sickness.’ I never knew where I was nor what I was doin’ till it was all over. And then I flunked.”
“You got scared when you’d done the trick,” exclaimed Alan. “And if you were crazy when you did your lariat act, I’d like to see you in action when you have your senses.”
“Right,” exclaimed Bob, slapping Buck on the shoulders. “Old top, you’re a brick. You’re It and you belong. That’s all I’ve got to say except that we’ve all lost a lot o’ good time not knowin’ you sooner.”
“Were you sick?” broke in Ned. “Sick from the motion of the car?”