ed his hands and found
that his fingers encountered a rough stone wall of some kind.

"I'm in an old well," gasped the boy as the truth suddenly flashed across
him. He looked upward. Far above him, as if seen through a telescope, he
could see the glittering stars. They were reflected, also, in the
agitated water about him.

Somewhat to his astonishment, for the thought of death itself had been in
his mind as he hurtled downward, Roy found that he was unhurt. But his
present position was by no means one to invite congratulations. At the
bottom of an old well in the midst of lonely fields he might stay a long
time before rescue would arrive.

And in the meantime,--but Roy bravely put such thoughts resolutely out of
his head, and began to feel about him to see if it was not possible to
find some rough places in the sides of the excavation by which he might
clamber to the surface. But his fingers only encountered stonework set
far too smoothly to be of any service to him.

Then he suddenly noticed what he had not observed before, and that was
that a rope depended from above, trailing its end down into the water. It
was too thin to bear his weight, but the boy thought he could utilize it
to keep himself above the surface without effort.

Tying a loop knot in it he thrust an arm through the noose and found that
he could sustain himself very comfortably. Then he began to shout. Loudly
at first--and then more feebly as his voice grew tired. But no answering
sound came back to him.

For the first time since he had found himself in his predicament cold
fear clutched at the young aviator's heart.

What if nobody heard him and he was compelled to remain at the bottom of
the old well?

As this thought shot through his mind Roy noticed, too, that a deadly
chill was beginning to creep up his limbs. He shivered waist deep in the
chilly water as if he had an ague.

CHAPTER XVII.

A COWARD AND HIS WAYS.

Peggy awoke the next day with a feeling of distinct uneasiness. She and
her aunt had sat up till after midnight awaiting Roy's return, but, as we
know, the lad was in a position from which he could not extricate
himself. An attempt had been made to communicate with the aviation
grounds, but an unlucky aeroplane had blundered against the telephone
wire during an afternoon flight, snapping the thread of communication.

In spite of the late hour at which they had retired, however, Miss
Prescott and her niece were up b