Tom Swift had decided on another flight for his new craft before he would let the government experts see it.
"Silent Sam must do his very best work for Uncle Sam before I turn him over," said the young inventor.
"And after this flight I'll offer the machine to the government, and then devote all my time to finding Mr. Nestor," said Tom. "I'd do it now, but private matters, however deeply they affect us, must be put aside to help win the war. But this will end my inventive work until after Mr. Nestor is found—if he's alive."
Preparations for the test flight went on apace, and one afternoon Tom and Jackson took their places in the big, new aeroplane. He no longer feared daylight crowds in case of an accident. They made a good start, and the motor was so quiet that as Tom passed over his own plant the men working in the yard, who did not know of the flight, did not look up to see what was going on. They could not hear the engine.
"I think we've got everything just as we want it, Jackson," said Tom, much pleased.
"I believe you," answered the mechanician. "It couldn't be better. Now if—"
And at that moment there came a loud explosion, and Silent Sam began drifting rapidly toward the earth, as falls a bird with a broken wing.