“They are safe enough now,” he thought. He mixed his father a draught of medicine and then, summoning a servant, he told her to be ready to answer any call from the library, in which room Professor Chadwick intended to spend the day.
When this had been done Jack felt that further delay would be useless. Bidding his father good-bye, and promising to give him every detail of the trip on his return, the boy hurried out to join his comrades.
It was a cloudless day. There was not a breath of wind to stir the leaves. A better morning for the testing of the Electric Monarch could not have been imagined.
“Well, Tom, we’re all ready, I guess.”
“As ready as we ever will be, Jack. The big moment is due. Everything all right to your mind, Ned?”
“Down to the last nut on the last bolt,” replied young Nevins positively.
“Then we had better climb on board and get ready for the start.”
Joyce, a stalwart, middle-aged mechanic, followed the boys on board the Electric Monarch. They first visited the pilot house. It had already been decided that Jack, on account of his previous experience with aerial craft, was to have the wheel. He gave a last look over the equipment. The next instant he uttered an exclamation of dismay.
“The landing lever is gone!” he exclaimed.