, as the latter
went carefully over each part of the wrecked airship.

"Well, it's hard to say, on account of there being so many broken
places," was the answer. "The engine is not as badly smashed as I
expected, but it will take some time to examine and test the gyroscope
attachment. I shall remove it and set it up separately."

"Well, it's my opinion that it was monkeyed with, and done on purpose,
too!" declared Jack Butt. "And I could almost name the fellow who did
it. He was--"

"Hush! No names, if you please," interrupted the aviator. "We will
investigate first."

"All right, sir! Just as you say," grudgingly agreed the other. "But
if ever I get my hands on him--!"

Jack Butt looked rather vindictive, and probably with good reason. For
had he not been near to death; and, as he thought, through the evil
work of some enemy.

The wrecked aircraft was hauled to one of the barrack sheds, which Mr.
Vardon announced would be his temporary workshop for possible repairs.

The rest of that day, and all of the next, was spent by Mr. Vardon in
taking his wrecked machine apart, saving that which could be used
again, and looking particularly for defects in the gyroscope
stabilizer, or equilibrizer. Larry and Jack Butt helped at this work,
and Dick, and the other cadets, spent as much time as they could from
their lessons and drills watching the operations.

For the students were much interested in aviation, and, now that it was
known that the army aviators were to come to Kentfield, and that Dick
Hamilton, one of the best liked of the cadets, was to have a big
airship of his own, many who had said they would never make a flight,
were changing their minds.

It was one afternoon, about a week following the wrecking of Mr.
Vardon's machine, that, as the cadets in their natty uniforms were
going through the last drill of the day, a peculiar sound was heard in
the air over the parade ground.

There was a humming and popping, a throbbing moan, as it were, and
despite the fact that the orders were "eyes front!" most of the cadets
looked up.

And they saw, soaring downward toward the campus which made an ideal
landing spot, two big aircraft.

"The army aviators!" someone cried, nor was there any rebuke from the
officers. "The army aviators!"

"At ease!" came the order, for the commandant realized that the
students could hardly be expected to stand at attention when there was
the chance to see an airship land.