It seemed to Johnny that the time consumed in that journey was remarkably short. To his utter surprise, he found himself circling over the roofs and chimneys of a sizeable city. Next moment, with a speed that was startling, they were shooting downward for a landing.
“Qui—quick trip,” he said to the pilot a moment later.
“Been quicker if my new motor were complete!” was the mysterious pilot’s strange reply.
But here were officers, doctors, an ambulance, all ordered in advance by two-way airplane radio. The little gray haired man was lifted out tenderly, then whisked away.
“You making a new kind of motor?” Johnny asked the pilot when everyone had departed.
“Motor’s not as new as the fuel I’ll use,” was the reply.
“What kind of fuel?” Johnny ventured.
“You’d be surprised!” The pilot looked away. “More foot pounds of energy for its weight than any yet discovered. Go around the world in non-stop flight—perhaps.”
“Whew!” Johnny breathed.
“Say! I’m starved!” the pilot exclaimed. “Guess we’ve done all we can for your friend, at least for the present. Want something to eat, you boys?”