aid Chester. "Confidence is the greatest asset
in the world."

"It's not confidence," said Stubbs. "I've just got to do it. Why, if my
boss knew I had something like this in my hands and I didn't get it to
him I'd lose my job."

Chester made no reply to this; instead, he bent over Hal who was still
tinkering with the engine of the aeroplane.

"How are you making it?" he asked.

"I don't seem to be able to fix it," returned Hal. "Say! you two fellows
walk away a bit and keep an eye open for possible enemies. We don't want
to be caught off our guard here."

Chester and Stubbs did as Hal directed, though the latter mumbled to
himself as he took his position some distance away.

"That's the trouble with these contraptions," he said. "Always out of
whack. If a man had a good horse now--"

He broke off and continued to mumble something unintelligible to himself.

"I've found it," cried Hal now, from the aeroplane. "I was working on the
wrong part. I'll have it fixed in a jiffy."

Chester made no reply, but Stubbs brightened up wonderfully.

"That's the talk!" he cried. "Fix her up, Hal, and get a move on."

Hal smiled to himself as he tinkered with the engine.

Hal was deep in his work when his attention was attracted by a sudden cry
of alarm from Stubbs.

"Germans!" cried the little man, and without stopping to look again, he
dashed toward Hal.

At almost the same moment Chester saw a force of the enemy advancing
toward him. He, too, uttered a cry of alarm and dashed toward the place
where Hal still bent over the aeroplane.

Stubbs danced up and down and chanted excitedly:

"Hurry up, Hal! Hurry up! Here they come!"

"Shut up, Stubbs!" exclaimed Hal, straining all his energies to fix the
break in the plane. "I'll have it in a minute."

"A minute will be too late!" cried Stubbs.

"Be still, Stubbs!" said Chester, quietly. "Give Hal a chance. There is
still time to run if it's necessary."

And at that moment Hal sprang to his feet.

"Fixed!" he cried joyfully. "Climb in here, quickly!"

The others needed no urging and soon all were in their places. It was now
that Hal thanked his stars that the plane was one of the few that could
rise from the ground.

Slowly the large army plane gathered headway as he moved along the
ground. Hal increased the speed slowly in spite of the close proximity,
for he realized that too great haste might spell disaster, and he wished
to test the engine carefully before so