to the better crew."

"I don't know about my crew, as Deveaux picked them up; but they did
good work when they brought me down here the other day in the plane,"
said Mr. Wrenn. "Giddings, I think your plan is all right, and we'll
let the race go on as if nothing had happened; but you bet your last
dollar I'll fire Pete when it's all over, if he has done what you say!"

With that the publisher of the _Clarion_ accompanied our friends back
to the hangar, where he had a good look at the Sky-Bird II, and showed
his own airplane, which was in all essentials an exact copy of the
other. Following this they left the airdrome and went to their hotels.

All had a good night's rest--probably the last one they would have on
earth for more than a week,--and after a hearty breakfast they
proceeded to get what supplies they would need to last them until they
should reach Georgetown, British Guiana, on the north coast of South
America. This would be their first stop. Somehow the townspeople
quickly guessed their identity, and they were followed from store to
store as they shopped by a curious and motley throng of dark-skinned
natives, among whom were noticed quite a few white children, presumably
belonging to American employees of the Government.

With such eatables as they had bought stored in a basket, and carrying
a few other packages, the boys went out to the airdrome. A guard stood
at the door to keep out those having no business in the hangar, and as
the young flyers passed in they noticed that Mr. Wrenn and a group of
four fellows in flying-suits were going over the rival airplane.

"Here, boys, come over here a minute!" called the fat man. As they
approached, the aviators with him turned from their work. One, a
slender fellow with swarthy skin and a scrubby black mustache, scowled
when he looked at John Ross, and as Bob Giddings and Tom Meeks got
their eyes on him, they gave an involuntary start, for they recognized
in the man the fellow they had seen hanging around the fair-grounds in
Yonkers when their machine was in process of construction.

"It's time you fellows got acquainted with each other," said Mr. Wrenn,
and he forthwith proceeded to introduce his crew as Pete Deveaux, Chuck
Crossman, Oliver Torrey, and Sam Lane.

"How are you, Ross?" greeted Pete Deveaux. He uttered a sour sort of
laugh, as his companions offered their hands around the group. "I
won't do any shaking," said he, "as my hands are kind of