rd, fellows!"

"He's as cheerful about it as though he were inviting us to a hanging,"
laughed Paul.

"Oh, I'm not worrying about any accident," said Dick quickly. "I'm
only afraid we've made her too big and won't get any speed out of her.
And speed is what's going to count in this trans-continental flight."

"She'll be speedy enough," predicted Mr. Vardon, with a confident air.

Paul, Innis, Larry and Mr. Vardon entered the cabin. Then Dick went
in, followed by Jack Butt, who remained to tighten a guy wire that was
not just to his satisfaction.

"Well, are we all here?" asked Dick, looking around.

"Yes," answered Paul, and there was a note of quiet apprehension in his
voice. Indeed it was rather a risk they were all taking, but they had
confidence in Mr. Vardon.

"Let her go," said Dick to the aviator.

"No, you have the honor of starting her, Mr. Hamilton," insisted Mr.
Vardon, motioning to the electrical apparatus.

"All right! Here goes," announced the wealthy youth, as he pressed the
starting handle. Everyone was on the alert, but nothing happened. The
motor remained "dead."

"What's the trouble?" asked Dick.

"You've always got to turn that switch first, before you turn the
starting handle," explained Jack.

"Oh, sure! How stupid of me!" cried Dick. "And I've started it in
practice a score of times. Well, now, once more."

This time, when the switch had been thrown, the motor started at once
with a throbbing roar. Faster and faster it rotated until the whole
craft trembled. There was considerable noise, for the muffler was not
fully closed. Dick wanted to warm-up the machinery first.

"That'll do!" shouted Mr. Vardon, who was watching the gage that told
the number of revolutions per minute. "Throw in your clutch!"

"Now to see if she'll rise or not," murmured Dick. He pulled the lever
that closed the muffler, thus cutting down, in a great measure, the
throb of the motor. Then, with a look at his chums, he threw in the
clutch. The great propellers began to revolve, and soon were flying
around on their axles with the swiftness of light.

Slowly the Abaris moved forward along the ground.

"We're off!" cried Paul, excitedly.

"Not quite yet," answered Dick. "I want more power than we've got now."

He had it, almost in a moment, for the airship increased her speed
across the slightly downward slope. Faster and faster she rolled along
on the rubber-tired wheels.

"Now!", cried