Tom Swift and His Wireless Message; Or, The Castaways of Earthquake Island

. Swift, too, seemed a little at a loss for something to say. The

ed Cloud. There is more danger riding in the monoplane than there is in the airship. In the latter, if the engine happens

sked Mr. Damon, impatie

vol-plane b

was a questioning not

alls. Come down in a series of dips from the upper currents. Vol-pl

one it?" asked t

, severa

! I can do it, too, Tom. Whe

ou won't get nervous and want to jump,

-plane whenever you are re

e pleased to see you. I've never met him, and it will be nice to have some one to introduce me. Suppose you come out an

or," and Mr. Damon chuckled. A little later, Tom, having informed his father of the sendi

t, I will not take much space to describe Tom's. Sufficient to say it was modeled

two just aft of the engine and controlling levers. Back of the seat stretched out a long framework, and at the end was a curved plane, set at right angles to

ertical rudder, which sent t

four cylinder motor, the cylinders being air cooled, and set like the spokes of a wheel around the motor box. The big gasolene tank, and other mechanism was in front of the right-hand operato

e Butterfly out of the shed, and began pumping up the tires of the bicycle wh

ud, Tom," answered the eccentric man, "but I'm going

t admire the gri

ew wire stays, changing the rudder cables, and tuning up the motor. The propeller was tightene

e, Mr. Damon

nswer. "Not that I'm afraid, for I'm going to make the trip

ust how his Butterfly was going to behave, with a passenger of Mr. Dam

propeller. At first the engine failed to respond, but suddenly with a burst of smoke, and a spluttering of fire the cylinders

claimed, "I never thought

Eradicate, who were holding back the

" answered

me live thing, the Butterfly rushed across the starting ground. Faster and faster it went, unt

, he began ascending until he was five hundred feet in the air. Up there he traveled back an

lence became almost oppressive, for Tom had somewhat descended, and the exp

talled!" cried

words, and looked an

danger?" gas

in mid flight, the monoplane swooped downward. A m

rpose," said Mr. Jackson. "He

g some of the great momentum. In a series of maneuvers like this, the young inventor reached the earth, not far from where

ad come to a stop after rolling over the ground, and he had leaped out. "We'l

eccentric man. "I

vousness noticeable about Mr. Damon, as he took his place in the seat beside Tom. The lad had gone carefully

be back, Tom?"

it is anything that requires a long stay, I'll come back, and let you know, and then run down to P

or you?" asked Mrs. Ba

estor's, and have some apple turnovers," for he had told them or the incident

e. Do you think we'll have

erous when there's no wind. All

ng any but the loudest shouts, the Butterfly was ready for her flight. Tom let the engine warm up a bit before calli

ight!

t ran perhaps for five hundred feet, and then, with a tilting of the

mon, waving his hand to t

urmured Tom. "Now f

fore, and now, picking out the land-marks, he laid

was, in a degree, to Mr. Damon, for, though the latter had made frequent trips in the large airship, this mode of loc

ring!" he excla

shout, and he adjusted the oil feed to

hey could not stop to admire any particular spot long, for they were flying

ke us?" yelled Mr. D

ree hours," shouted ba

akes the train

o hundred and fifty miles. That's only about eighty an hour.

han the Red Cloud,

ed out the names of the larger places they passed over. He was now doing better than eighty an hour as the gage showed. The trip

it?" fairly h

odded

for dinner," he an

m, pointing with one hand down below, while with t

Philade

Well, we certainly made speed!

e to pick out the best place I see. It's no fun landin

lin Field?" cried Mr. Damon.

ery thing!"

re," went on Mr. Damon, and

f. They were flying rather low, and as the people in the streets became aware of their presence th

t. The monoplane gave a sickening dip, and Tom had to adjust the wing ti

ied Mr. Damon, "Did you

Tom, "Somethin

my overshoes! Is

s feat with a passenger aboard. He was wondering how the Butterfly would behave. But he would know very soon, for