“All right,” agreed Hiram. “Here we go.”
Dave showed the most endurance. He reached the summit, paused and waved his hand triumphantly at his toiling rival.
“Hold on,” called Hiram. “Wait for Mr. King.”
“I’ll take a look first,” answered Dave.
The young aviator climbed over a low ledge of boulders. Beyond them was a fringe of high bushes. Dave knew that, these passed, the Albatross would be in view.
He pressed his way through the bushes and cleared the last obstruction at a leap. Then the young aviator took one look, uttered a dismayed cry, and fairly dived back in among the undergrowth, startled beyond expression.
CHAPTER XVIII
IN A BAD FIX
“Keep back!” shouted the young aviator.
He accompanied the words with a spring and a roll that took him through and past the fringe of bushes and brought him directly against Hiram.
“Hold on, I say. The mischief!” blurted out Hiram, tipped clear off his balance.