"You can't tell," answered Innis, as he looked down for a last sight
of a certain pretty face.
"Well, we can only hit the ground twice between here and San
Francisco," remarked Dick, as he turned on more power. "If we have
to come down the third time--we lose the prize."
"We're not going to lose it!" asserted Mr. Vardon, earnestly.
Of course there were many more entrants for the prize than Dick
Hamilton. Two airships had started that morning before he got off
in his craft, and three others were to leave that afternoon. One
prominent birdman from the West was due to start the next day, and
on the following two from the South were scheduled to leave. There
were also several well-known foreigners who were making a try for
the fame, honor and money involved.
But this story only concerns Dick Hamilton's airship, and the
attempt of himself, and his Uncle Ezra, to win the prize, and I have
space for no more than a mere mention of the other contestants.
CHAPTER XXII
UNCLE EZRA STARTS OFF
Let us now, for a moment, return to Uncle Ezra. We left him sitting
on the ground after his rather unceremonious exit from the airship
which had crashed into the apple tree in the orchard. Somehow the
strap, holding him to his seat, had come unbuckled, which accounted
for his plight.
"Are you hurt?" asked Lieutenant Larson, after a quick glance that
assured him the airship was not badly damaged.
"I don't know's I'm hurt such a terrible lot," was the slow answer,
"but my clothes are all dirt.
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