Jim had flung the metal gun so that the airplane ran into it.
Bob began to look for a way to spiral back to the testing field. His propeller, with a blade shattered, was useless.
Al screeched again. To the west, coming fast, was a ship they both recognized. Lang was returning in Griff’s speedster. Also, as Al pointed out, the cabin ‘plane was rising from the landing field.
Al was so excited that he waggled the stick.
Then Bob saw!
Forestalled by the approach of Lang, with the other ship rising to chase, with his engine functioning badly, and the resulting distraction of attention, Jim’s safety was endangered.
The very thing that he had done when he planned to urge Mr. Tredway to test the ‘plane—crossing two wires—had prevented his escape.
The new carburetor, leaking, dripped a rich gas and air mixture onto the sparking wires—there was a flash of flames as Bob looked.
Almost he forgot his own purpose, but with steeled will he held his tight spiral, saw the cabin ship was out of his way, shot the field, and landed.
When Lang and the others joined him beside the smoking ruins of the new ship, they saw Sandy Jim, who had tried to escape by jumping before the flames reached him.