There was a sharp crash and Helen held her breath. She was sure the plane had struck the Liberty but the boat moved steadily ahead and she turned quickly to look for the plane.
The scarlet sky bird was limping toward the safety of the higher altitudes, its under-carriage twisted into a grotesque knot.
“What happened?” cried Tom as he stared aghast at ‘Speed’ Rand’s damaged plane. “Did we get hit?”
“Nothing wrong with the Liberty,” announced Jim Preston. “I don’t know what happened.”
Helen glanced at the speedboat’s wake where a heavy wave was being rolled up by the powerful propeller.
“I know what happened,” she cried. “‘Rand’ was just trying to give us an extra Fourth of July thrill and he forgot about the heavy wave the Liberty pulls. He must have banged his landing gear into it.”
“You’re right, Helen,” agreed Tom. “But I can’t figure out why he didn’t nose over and dive to the bottom of the lake.”
“I expect that would have happened to any flyer except Rand,” said Helen. “He’s supposed to be a wizard in the air.”
“Wonder how this accident will affect the crowd at Sandy Point. Think it will keep them from riding with the air circus?” Margaret asked.
“Depends on how widely the story gets out,” said Tom. “I’d hate to have Old Man Provost’s celebration ruined by wild rumors. He’s spent a lot of money getting ready to give the public a good time.”