CHAPTER XV
AT THE AERODROME
"That is the machine I want, Mr. Randolph," said Dave Dashaway.
It was two days after the young aviator had told his friends atColumbus the name of the person he suspected of stealing theaero-hydroplane, the Drifter from the Interstate Aeroplane Company.
Now, he and Hiram and the manager of the Interstate plant stood amidthe half hundred or more aero machines that comprised the stock ofone of the largest factories in that line in the country.
They had left the aero meet at Columbus the evening previous, not,however, until Dave had explained how he came to suspect JerryDawson.
"It's simple and plain, Mr. King," the young aviator had said. "Thebadge I bought from the tramp at Bolton was the property of youngDawson."
"Sure of that, Dashaway?" Mr. King had inquired.
"Oh, yes. The initials are crude, but they certainly stand for 'J.D.' and not 'T. O.' as the tramp thought."
An inspection of the duplicate badge by both Mr. King and Hiramsatisfied them that Dave's theory was correct.
"Another thing," Dave had added--"the coat found on the barb wiretop of the factory fence I have seen Jerry wear many a time."
"And the card?" pressed Hiram.
"The card has some scrawls on it, made by Jerry, I think. It showsa sort of rough outline of the upper lake district here. Somearrows show a straight course due northwest. I believe the Drifterwas started on its way over the Canadian border."
"And the two men with Jerry?" asked Mr. King.
"I can't figure out that they could be anybody but Jerry's fatherand the man who left Columbus with them--Ridgely."
"The man the revenue officer was looking for!" exclaimed Hiram.
"The smuggler, as he was called, yes," replied Dave.
Mr. King and Hiram indulged in all kinds of conjectures as to thepossible motive of the party of three in stealing the aircraft.
"The way I figure it out," said Mr. King, "is that this Ridgelywanted to get out of the country knowing that the revenue peoplewere dose on his trail."
"Perhaps," agreed Dave thoughtfully. "There's another thing,though."
"What's that?" inquired the interested Hiram.
"His coming all the way around the lakes to find his friends, theDawsons, looks as though he had some future scheme in view, with anairship a part of it."
"That's so," assented Mr. King. "Well, Dashaway, you have donefamously so far in finding out what you have. The Interstate peoplethink the only way to chase the fugitives is with one of their ownmachines. I don't know anybody better adapted to do just that thanyourself."
"Thank you, Mr. King," said Dave modestly
The two boys left Columbus with pretty clear minds. They had adefinite purpose in view, and Mr. King, Dave felt sanguine, would doall that the interests of Mr. Dale required while they were gone.
"Say, Dave," spoke Hiram, as they boarded the train bound forBolton, "this is just like acting out some story, isn't it?"
"In a way," acquiesced the young aviator, "only there won't be muchacting--it will be real, earnest hard work."
"I see that, and I am anxious to do my share," declared Hiram.
"You always are, Hiram," said Dave.
Now, the morning following, the two aviator friends found themselvesat the Interstate factory, where both received a warm welcome fromMr. Randolph.
Dave now related to the manager all that he had held back during hisfirst visit to the great plant.
"I say, Dashaway, that's simply wonderful," was Mr. Randolph'senthusiastic comment. "Anybody with the genius to gather up allthose clews cannot fail to work out this entire case. We shall soonreceive some great reports from you."
"I hope so," said Dave.
"Now then, you and your friend go over to the aerodrome and seewhich one of our machines there suits you best."
It was after Dave and Hiram had spent the most fascinating half hourof their lives viewing the wonders of mechanism on display, that themanager rejoined them. It was then, too, that Dave reported to himwith the words:
"That is the machine I want, Mr. Randolph."
As Dave spoke he pointed to a monoplane of which he had made a closeinspection for over ten minutes. The manager burst out into ahearty laugh.
"Well, well!" he cried, clapping Dave on the shoulder in anapproving way, "I must say you are certainly a grand judge ofmonoplanes."
"How is that?" asked Dave.
"You have picked out the best machine in the place."
"Why, I was looking for the best one, wasn't I, Mr. Randolph?" askedthe young aviator with a smile.
"It is our new model of the composite hydro-aeroplane," explainedthe manager. "It's the best standard built in this country--theMonarch II."
"It's easy to see that," responded Dave. "It is the equal of theDrifter in a great many ways."
"That is true," replied Mr. Randolph. "While it may not be as swiftin the water as an all-steel hydro, it is built on the best floatsystem and will sustain a weight of one thousand three hundredpounds."
"And the front elevation and tail are also of the newest type," saidDave.
"You studied that out, eh? It's a model of lightness as suchmachines go. The engine is only three hundred pounds, it carriestwenty gallons of gasoline, and has a lifting capacity of twelvehundred pounds, giving leeway for a three hundred pound pilot."
"Dave and I wouldn't weigh that together, Mr. Randolph," said Hiram.
"Its simplicity strikes me," remarked Dave.
"Yes," said Mr. Randolph, "and it can be knocked down andreassembled in a hurry. You see, the ailerons never leave theirsections and in the planes not a wire is changed. The outriggersfold, keeping them in pairs together, each piece is bent, notbuckled, and can be straightened good as new in case of adisarrangement."
The manager went over the entire machine in a speedy but expert way.He saw that all locks on the turnbuckles were fastened, and that thelocks had lock washers beneath them. All the movable wires werereinforced with a piece of loose hay wire, and provisions againstrust perfected.
Hiram stood mute, but fascinated, as the manager explained in detailthe fine points of the Monarch II, as the composite hydro-aeroplanewas named.
What interested Dave immensely was a self starting apparatus. Thiswas operated by a handle inserted in a socket, fastened on a specialball ratchet on the large sprocket. Pulling this handle turned themotor over two, sometimes three compressions, and started up themachine without difficulty, Mr. Randolph explained. During theoperation the throttle shut down so that the operator might resumehis seat and take the levers.
The planes had double covered fabric on top and bottom, tightened atthe rear of the planes by lacing. A single lever controlled theelevator and side flaps and there were radical bearings to take bothside and end thrusts.
"Tell you, Dashaway," said Mr. Randolph in conclusion, "I'll trustyou with the Monarch II because you are something more than agrass-cutting pilot by mail trying to coast a flying machine off theground."
"I hope to deserve your compliment," laughed the young aviator.
"You've got a horse power engine and planes hard to beat. There areself-priming oil pumps, an auxiliary exhaust, and the machinefollows the lines of the lowest gasoline consumption. Remember thetriple axis conditions, Dashaway. One controls the fore and aftaxis, producing tipping. The second is the vertical axis, producingturning. The third is the lateral axis, producing rising andfalling."
"Some one at the office wishes to see Mr. Dashaway," just hereinterrupted a lad from the plant.
"To see me?" spoke Dave in some surprise.
"Yes, sir. He asked me to give you his card, and said he had comequite a distance to see you."
Dave took the card the lad handed him. He was a little startled,and then curious, as he read the name--
"JAMES PRICE, Revenue Officer."