driver's seat, and Chester, not without a tremor, took
his place beside him.

Hal's afternoon experience and his natural aptitude for mechanics now
stood him in good stead. Reaching out he threw over a lever and the
machine moved forward. There was a whirring sound as the plane skimmed
over the ground. As the machine began to rise, Hal pressed another lever,
and they shot into the air rapidly.

So swiftly did they go up that their breath was almost taken away.

"Great Scott!" gasped Chester. "This is more than I bargained for!"

With the lights of the village like pin points below him, Hal, who had
not for a moment lost his presence of mind, checked the rise of the
machine, and headed toward the southwest, gauging his direction by a
compass before him, the moonlight luckily permitting him to see.

As the machine settled down to its flight, Chester regained his
composure.

"This is more like it," he said. "For a moment I was afraid it was all
up with us."

"I was scared for a minute myself," replied Hal. "But you must remember
this is not my first trip aloft."

"I guess it's all right after you get used to it," was the answer, "but
the way I feel right now, if I ever get my foot on terra firma again I am
going to stay there."

Hal laughed.

"Oh, you will be all right directly," he said. "For my part, I like it."

"How fast do you suppose we are going?"

"About fifty miles an hour."

"Great Scott! That's going some!"

The machine was skimming at great speed through the air, flying low, as
Hal did not wish to lose sight of the ground entirely.

"This is high enough for me," he explained. "I might want to go down
suddenly, and I want to see where I am going. Of course, if it is
necessary, we will go higher."

"I guess we might as well fall ten miles as to fall from here," remarked
Chester. "If anything went wrong it would be good night for us."

For a time they flew along in silence.

Suddenly there was the sound of a shot from below, and a bullet whizzed
by the flying aeroplane.

Hal sent the machine higher into the air with a jump, and Chester let out
an exclamation as he was almost thrown from his seat.

"That was too close for comfort!" cried Hal.

"Well, the next time you decide to shoot up like that, let me know
first!" exclaimed Chester. "You almost lost me that time!"

"Hang on tight!" shouted Hal. "You never can tell what will happen with
me running this thing, so don't take any chances