And when Frank opened his eyes again, the light of day was shining in through the two windows facing the east; so that, hearing sounds that told of breakfast being made ready, he gave Andy a kick, telling him to bestir himself, if he hoped to start the day rightly by appearing at early breakfast with the rest of the Double X outfit.
CHAPTER VIII—THE BRONCHO BUSTER MEETS HIS MATCH
Such a busy day as they put in.
It was hard for the foreman to influence the cow-punchers to look after their customary avocations, for they wanted to be hanging around that hangar all the time, watching Frank and Andy assemble the various queer parts of the delicate contraption that, when completed would be called a biplane.
The idea that any one would dare trust himself in such a little contrivance, and soar like the white-headed eagle away up above the clouds, staggered the belief of these fellows; all of whom wanted to be “shown” before they would be willing to admit that such a wonderful thing could ever come to pass.
They looked on the Bird boys with almost reverence. Such pluck and daring outdistanced their own reckless horseback plunging as far as the sun outshines the yellow moon.
Some of them tried their very best to make themselves useful, and even pleaded with the boys to think up some way in which they could “run and fetch,” so that the foreman would excuse them from going out on the range after stray mavericks, or rounding up bunches of cattle that may have strayed toward the dangerous coulies of the mountains, where all sorts of danger would await them.
But as they needed no assistance whatever, Frank had to shake his head, even to the persistent Buckskin, for he knew that if he favored one it would create bad feeling among the rest and this was something to be avoided, so early in their acquaintance with these warm-hearted but impulsive cattle punchers.
When noon came the aeroplane was taking shape, and beginning to look like something. A little help was needed when it came to installing the motive power; but there was plenty to be had; in a pinch even the grinning Charley Woo would have been willing to lend a hand; although he had privately announced it as his opinion that if this wonderful affair, that looked so much like the big box-kites flown in his native country, could sail away above the clouds, they would never set eyes on the two bold young navigators again; and he also said that Mr. Witherspoon ought to keep control of the flying machine by means of a rope, so that he could pull it down when he thought best.
It was really wonderful how quickly all the boys got through with their jobs on this particular day. Where under ordinary conditions they would not have shown up at the ranch house until evening, they now came galloping in like mad by two o’clock, and before three had arrived not a single puncher was out on the range.