A RISKY CLIMB
“That race wasn’t won fair!”
“That’s right, Noddy, we’ll protest it!” This from Bill Berry, who with
his crony had hurried to the office of the secretary after alighting
from the _Winner_.
“What’s that?” asked the official, looking from Noddy to our three
friends who, in response to the request, had come up to headquarters to
receive the prizes they had so pluckily won.
“I say that race wasn’t won fair!” insisted the bully. “The engine of
the _Comet_ stopped and they coasted over the line. That’s not right.”
“Oh, I think it is,” replied the secretary gently. “You read the
articles of agreement which you signed. They are alike for all
contestants. The first machine to cross the line wins, engine or no
engine.”
“Well, it’s not fair!” grumbled Noddy.
“Course it ain’t!” declared Bill. “We wouldn’t have raced if we’d known
that.”
“Oh, get out!” exclaimed the operator of the Wright machine who had
finished a close second to Noddy. “You make me tired. If your engine
had stopped you’d have tried to win the same way. Get out! Jerry
Hopkins and his chums won the race fair, and I never saw a more plucky
finish! I’m proud to shake hands with you,” and he extended his palm to
the tall lad.
“It gives me pleasure,” spoke the secretary, “to hand you this trophy,
and the thousand dollars, and to congratulate you boys on your
success,” and he passed over the gold loving cup, and a crisp thousand
dollar bill.
“Speech! Speech!” came the cry from the crowd that had gathered; but
Jerry, blushing furiously made his way through the press of people,
followed by Ned and Bob, and sought seclusion in the hangar. But the
mob was not to be denied and followed there, to gaze at the successful
aviators. They insisted so on being talked to that, to get rid of them,
Jerry did make a few remarks, thanking them for their appreciation, and
telling something of how the race was run.
As for Noddy, like a bear with a sore head, he and Bill sulked in
their tent, grumbling at the action of the officials in awarding the
race to our heroes. But no one paid much attention to them. Jerry and
his chums were much relieved to learn that of the two operators on
the Curtiss biplane, which fell to the earth, one was only severely
bruised, while the other sustained a broken arm. Their escape from
death was almost miraculous.
“What was the matter with our motor that it stopped?” asked Ned,
looking at the _Comet_ which had been wheeled into the big tent.
“I don’t know, we’ll make an examination,” replied Jerry, who was
gazing at the gold loving cup. “Do you know, fellows I’m prouder of
this than some of the other trophies we’ve won, and we have quite a
few.”
“What did you do with the thousand dollar bill?” asked Bob with a laugh.
“Oh, it’s somewhere around,” and Jerry pulled it, all crumpled up, from
his trousers pocket.
“What makes you think so much of this cup?” asked Ned.
“Because we’ve won it against some of the best birdmen in the world,
and against some of the speediest machines. You must remember that
our craft isn’t primarily a racer. The _Comet_ is more like a touring
auto--built for pleasure, and since we put on the hydroplanes it’s
considerably heavier than it was. This is the first race we’ve won
since we attached them, and it goes to show that we’ve got a fine and
powerful motor. That’s why I’m so proud of this cup.”
“Aren’t you going to try for the elevation prize?” inquired Bob.
“Sure, but as I said I prefer distance racing. Now we’ll look to see
what the trouble was.”
“And I’ll take care of this thousand-spot,” added Ned, as he carefully
put the bill in his pocketbook. “You’d use it to clean a brass pipe
with, Jerry.”
It was found that a broken wire in the ignition system was responsible
for the stopping of the motor, and the defect was soon remedied. While
the boys were at this, a message came from the secretary, asking them
if they would not oblige the big crowd by doing some special stunts
late that afternoon, following the regular events. These latter
included some monoplane flights, and some qualifying ascensions by men
who wanted to get a pilot’s license.
“Shall we do it?” asked Jerry of his chums.
“Might as well,” replied Ned, and word to that effect was sent to the
secretary.
“We ought to take the professor along if we’re going to give an
exhibition,” remarked Bob a little later. “The _Comet_ goes better with
four aboard, especially when we’re doing stunts.”
“That’s right,” agreed Jerry. “I wonder where he is? I haven’t seen him
since early morning.”
“Oh, he’s off after bugs, you can depend on it,” declared Ned.
They were engaged in cleaning and oiling the motor, in anticipation of
the flight they were to make later in the day, when a series of shouts
outside their big tent caused them to stare at each other in surprise
and some apprehension.
“What’s that?” asked Ned.
“Maybe some one else is falling,” suggested Bob.
Jerry hurried out, and immediately called to his chums:
“There’s something wrong over at Noddy’s hangar. Maybe he and Bill are
having a fight.”
It needed only such a mention as that to bring Ned and Bob out on the
run. They looked to where Jerry pointed and saw a big throng gathering
about the tent set aside for the use of Noddy and his _Winner_.
“Come on!” cried Ned, springing in that direction. Bob and Jerry
followed, and when they got near enough they could hear shouts and
calls like the following:
“He must be crazy!”
“Perhaps it’s the heat!”
“Did he fall from an aeroplane and land on his head?”
“What’s he trying to do, anyhow?”
“Give it up. Maybe he’s a snake charmer and one of his reptiles got
away.”
There were screams from several women at this.
Now Jerry, Ned and Bob had pushed their way in, and, just as they half
expected when they heard the remarks, they saw Professor Snodgrass on
his knees at the edge of the canvas shelter. He was evidently trying to
capture some bug.
“Might have known he’d create some excitement before the day was over,”
remarked Bob.
Hardly had he spoken than the little scientist jumped up as if he were
shot.
“Look out!” he cried. “There he goes! Don’t let him get away! Oh, there
he goes on top of the tent!”
In an instant the professor had pushed his way through the crowd, and
seeing a rope hanging from the top of the front pole of the hangar he
began to climb up it, the frail structure swaying with his weight.
“Come back! Come back!” yelled Jerry. “That won’t hold you!” But the
scientist kept on up the rope.