CHAPTER XX
MR. JACKSON IS GONE
"That's a great machine!"
"Sort of cross between a dirigible and an aeroplane."
"Wonder where they came from?"
"Say, how much speed can you make?"
"How high can you go?"
These were some of the comments and questions that greeted our friendsas they alighted from their craft. They answered them as well as theycould, and, having anchored the _Comet_, for there was some gas in thebag, that tended to raise her, they made their way through the press ofpeople.
"Where shall we go?" asked Bob.
"To the office of the secretary, or some of the officials of the meet,"answered Ned. "I want to inquire about Mr. Jackson. I hope I have thosepapers safe, that dad wants him to sign."
He quickly felt in his pockets, assured himself that the valuabledocuments were there, and kept on with his companions. ProfessorSnodgrass brought up in the rear, with his small butterfly net over hisshoulder, and an empty specimen box in his hand, ready for whatever hemight see in the way of insects.
Meanwhile Bob, Ned and Jerry were making their way to where theyhad been told were the offices of the company that had arranged theballoon meet. As the boys walked along they asked several men they metwhether Mr. Jackson had arrived, but they could obtain no information.Either the persons were foreigners who had come to do stunts in theiraeroplanes, and could not understand or speak much English, or elsethey had heard nothing of the man whom the merchant's son was soanxious to meet.
"Well, the secretary will be sure to know," decided Ned, as, followedby his chums, he entered the offices which were in a temporary building.
"Is Mr. Wescott Jackson's machine here yet?" asked Ned, when he hadfound the proper official.
"It was here," was the reply.
"_Was_ here? Why, has he taken it away?"
"Not exactly. It's off on a trial trip."
"Then where is Mr. Jackson?"
"Oh, he's gone, too--he went in his dirigible balloon a little whileago. Didn't you notice a craft going up, just as you came down?" askedthe secretary.
"Yes--yes," replied Ned, while he felt a lump come up in his throat."Was Mr. Jackson aboard?"
"Indeed he was. He is piloting his craft, and he has a friend with himbesides the crew. As I said, he went off on a trial trip."
"When is he coming back?" asked Jerry.
"Well, it's hard to say."
"Do you mean he won't come back here at all?" demanded Ned, as he feltof the documents in his pocket--documents which it was so vital thatMr. Jackson sign.
"Oh, yes, we expect him back," was the answer. "You see the meetofficially opens to-day, and Mr. Jackson has promised to give anexhibition flight. Before venturing on that, however, he said he wantedto give his machine a tryout, so he took it up this morning. We expecthim back almost any time."
"Oh, that's different," said Ned, with an air of relief. "I want to seehim on very important business, but we can wait until he returns."
"I understand you have quite an airship yourself," went on thesecretary. "Don't you want to enter her?"
The boys decided that they did not care to do this, at least untilafter they had seen Mr. Jackson, and obtained his signature.
"Perhaps we'll enter some of the contests then," remarked Jerry. "Thatis, if we may."
"Oh, we'd be glad to have you. In fact, if you will give an exhibitionflight this morning the committee will pay you well for it. We expectedto have a well-known aviator here with his biplane, but he hasdisappointed us, and we have nothing with which to interest the crowdsuntil afternoon. So if you could fill in, we'd be much obliged to you."
"Let's do it," urged Bob eagerly.
"We might miss Mr. Jackson," spoke Ned.
"Oh, you needn't go far away from the grounds," put in the secretary,"and you can see Mr. Jackson's balloon when it heads back this way. Idon't believe he'll go far off."
"Might as well then, to pass the time," suggested Jerry, and as Ned waswilling, under these circumstances, the boys went back to their machineto get it ready for a flight. But Ned kept anxious eyes on the sky,watching for a first sight of the returning dirigible.