The genial rays of the luminary had never seemed so welcome to the three Radio Boys, for they had steeled their hearts to meet death, and they felt as a condemned prisoner must when a last minute reprieve arrives.
For a time they flew in silence, each one thinking of this last narrow escape, and breathing a prayer of thankfulness that they were still alive and uninjured.
“Phil, that’s twice you’ve pulled us out of the hole when it didn’t look as though we had a chance,” said Dick, at last. “What I want to say is, that you’re competent to handle an aeroplane, and no mistake.”
“Aw, shucks,” said Phil; “either you or Tom would have done the same thing. I came pretty near to shaving the tops off a few of those boulders in that last dive, though. Another hundred feet, and our troubles would all have been over.”
“I’d just as soon keep my troubles for a while,” said Tom, with a feeble effort at a joke. “They don’t bother me half as much as the thought of smashing down on those rocks does.”
“That goes for me, too,” said Dick. “But let’s let bygones be bygones. We’re right here, scooting along at a fast clip, and not a scratch on us. The question then arises, ‘where do we stop for the night’? It will be pretty dark in another hour.”
“I’m going to land at the first decent place I can find on the far side of these hills,” said Phil. “I don’t feel any longing to land on top of another mountain.”
“You said it!” agreed Tom. “The mere thought of it makes me see double. Land on the lowest place you can find on the map, Phil.”
This was precisely what Phil intended to do, and it was not long before the opportunity appeared. Passing over the last of the hill range, they saw a level country spread out before them, which offered plenty of ideal places to make a landing. Phil volplaned down until they were only a hundred feet up, and then, selecting a smooth stretch of meadowland, glided swiftly down to a perfect landing.
“Wow!” exclaimed Tom, as he climbed out and stretched prodigiously. “This looks a little better than our last landing place, fellows. I’m going to break out some grub in short order, because this has been a hard day, and I’m as hungry as a wolf.”