ping the other heartily
on the back. "We've all carried ourselves like true Americans through
this whole affair; and it'll afford us considerable satisfaction when we
look back on the wonderful trip."

"And now, Tom, hadn't we better turn toward the shore?" asked Jack.

"Just as soon as we get over the lightship I will know how to steer,
Jack. Keep cool, and before long you'll be looking down on our beloved
Virginia once again."

"You make me mighty happy when you say that, Tom. Many times I've
wondered if I'd ever see it again, we've been overseas so long and in so
many perils while doing our duty. How fine it'll be to stand once more
on the soil where both of us were born, and know we've done a pretty big
thing in crossing the Atlantic by the new air route!"

They fell silent again after that, but not for long. Louder and clearer
came the frequent long-drawn wails of the steam fog-horn, until finally
it seemed evident they were almost exactly above the lightship that, as
Tom knew, was anchored on the shoals to warn mariners of their danger by
means of a far-reaching lamp and the powerful siren's hoarse voice.

"Now we'll strike in for the land!" called out Tom, his announcement
causing Jack to thrill with delight, while Beverly too showed his
pleasure in broad smiles.

Soon afterwards they were speeding due west, with Jack gluing his eyes to
his glasses and reporting every few minutes fresh signs of vast
importance. Virginia soon lay beneath them, to announce that they had
completed their wonderful flight across the Atlantic.

CHAPTER XXIII

THE END OF THE FLIGHT

No longer did the fog enfold them in its damp grasp. After leaving the
immediate coast behind them the last trace of it disappeared.

Jack refused to take his entranced eyes from the binoculars for a single
minute. He felt a hundred-fold repaid for all the perils encountered
during the memorable flight from the shore of France, during which they
had spanned the vast area of the Atlantic, and were now sailing
peacefully along above the home soil.

Lieutenant Beverly made an announcement just then that startled them.

"We must look for a place to drop down without any further loss of time!"
he called out to Tom, who was still serving as pilot.

"But it would be mighty fine," Jack observed wistfully, "if only we might
keep going on until we got a few miles out of Bridgeton. I know every rod
of territory for miles around and could point ou