rs, tilted
to one side.

Then, a hopeless wreck, she turned over and plunged downward toward the
earth. Her race was over.

CHAPTER XXXII

SAVING UNCLE EZRA

For a moment those aboard Dick's airship uttered not a sound. Then, as
they saw the rival craft sifting slowly downward, gliding from side to
side like a sheet of paper, they looked at one another with horror in
their eyes. It seemed such a terrible end.

Dick was the first to speak.

"We'll have to go down and help them," he said simply. "Some of them
may be--alive!"

It meant stopping the race, it meant making the last of the two
landings allowed them. And it was a landing in a wild and desolate
place, seemingly, for there was no sign of city or town below them. And
just now, after her repairs, when everything was running smoothly, it
behooved Dick and his associates to take advantage of every mile and
minute they could gain. Otherwise some other craft might get in ahead
of them.

Yet Dick had said they must go down. There was no other course left
them, in the name of humanity. As the young millionaire had observed,
some of those in the wrecked airship might be alive. They might
survive the fall, great as it was.

"Send her down, Mr. Vardon," said Dick quietly. "We may be able to
save some of them."

If he thought that possibly he was losing his last chance to win the
trans-continental race, he said nothing about it.

The motor was shut off, and there was silence aboard the Abaris. No one
felt like talking. As they volplaned downward they saw the wreck of
the Larabee strike the outer branches of a big tree, and then turn over
again before crashing to the ground.

"She may catch fire from the gasolene," said Dick, in a tense voice.
"We ought to hurry all we can."

"I could go down faster," said Mr. Vardon, "by starting up the motor.
But I don't like to until I see what sort of landing ground we'll have."

"No, it's wiser to go a bit slowly," agreed Lieutenant McBride. "We
must save ourselves in order to save them--if possible. It's a
terrible accident!"

As they came nearer earth they saw a comparatively smooth and level
spot amid a clearing of trees. It was not far from where the wreck
lay, a crumpled-up mass. Down floated the Abaris gently, and hardly
had she ceased rolling along on her wheels that Dick and the others
rushed out to lend their aid to Uncle Ezra and the others.

Dick's uncle lay at some little distance from