ircraft with some sort
of enclosed cabin on it."

"Say, that will be quite an elaborate affair," commented Innis.

"The question is, will you fellows take a chance with me in it?" asked
Dick.

"Well, I guess so," responded Paul, slowly.

Innis nodded in rather a faint-hearted fashion.

"Now," said Dick, "I want to see--"

He was interrupted by shouts in the direction of the river.

"There she is!"

"She's floating down!"

"Let's get her!"

A number of cadets were thus crying out.

"Come on!" yelled Dick. "Something's happened! Maybe my motor-boat is
adrift!"

CHAPTER IV

THE ARMY AVIATORS

Dick, Paul and Innis set off at a quick pace toward the stream which
flowed at the foot of the broad expanse of green campus and parade
ground. As they hurried on they were joined by other cadets in like
haste.

"What is it?" asked the young millionaire.

"Don't know," was the answer. "Something happened on the river, that's
all I heard."

Dick and his chums were soon in a position to see for themselves, and
what they beheld was a curious sort of raft, with torn sails, or so at
least it seemed, floating down with the current. Then, as the waters
swirled about the odd craft, a piece, like the tail of some great fish,
arose for a moment.

"What in the name of Gatling guns is it?" asked Paul, wonderingly.

"It's the airship!" cried Innis. "My cousin's wrecked airship! It
must have been stuck in the mud, or held by some snag, and now it's
come to the surface. We ought to get it. He'll want to save it. Maybe
he can use part of the engine again, and he's out of funds to buy a new
one, I know."

"Besides, he wants to see if it had been tampered with by someone so as
to bring about an accident," suggested Paul.

"We'll get it!" cried Dick. "Come on! In my motor-boat!"

The speedy watercraft was in readiness for a run, and the three cadets,
racing down to her, soon had the motor started and the bow of the boat
pointed to the floating airship. The latter was moving slowly from the
force of the current, which was not rapid here. The affair of wings,
struts, planes and machinery floated, half submerged, and probably
would not have sunk when the accident occurred except that the great
speed at which it was travelling forced it below the surface, even as
one can force under a piece of wood.

But the wood rises, and the buoyant airship would have done the same,
perhaps, save for the fact that it had