Hal's experience
with automobiles had taught him something of engines, so he had little
trouble starting this one. Finding everything in working order, Hal
climbed into the driver's seat, and Chester, not without a tremor, took
his place beside him.
Hal's afternoon experience and his natural aptitude for mechanics now
stood him in good stead. Reaching out he threw over a lever and the
machine moved forward. There was a whirring sound as the plane skimmed
over the ground. As the machine began to rise, Hal pressed another lever,
and they shot into the air rapidly.
So swiftly did they go up that their breath was almost taken away.
"Great Scott!" gasped Chester. "This is more than I bargained for!"
With the lights of the village like pin points below him, Hal, who had
not for a moment lost his presence of mind, checked the rise of the
machine, and headed toward the southwest, gauging his direction by a
compass before him, the moonlight luckily permitting him to see.
As the machine settled down to its flight, Chester regained his
composure.
"This is more like it," he said. "For a moment I was afraid it was all
up with us."
"I was scared for a minute myself," replied Hal. "But you must remember
this is not my first trip aloft."
"I guess it's all right after you get used to it," was the answer, "but
the way I feel right now, if I ever get my foot on terra firma again I am
going to stay there."
Hal laughed.
"Oh, you will be all right directly," he said.
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