CHAPTER I
THE BOYS AND THE BIPLANE
"Fo' de land sakes, Massa Dick, wot am dat contraption yo' boys dun puttogedder back ob de bahn yesterday?"
"Why, Aleck, don't you know what that is?" returned Dick Rover, with asmile at the colored man. "That's a biplane."
"A biplane, eh?" repeated Alexander Pop, the colored helper around theRover homestead. He scratched his woolly head thoughtfully. "Yo' don'tmean to say it am lak a plane a carpenter man uses, does yo', MassaDick? 'Pears lak to me it was moah lak some ship sails layin'down,--somethin' lak dem ships we see over in Africy, when we went intodem jungles to find yo' fadder."
"No, it has nothing to do with a carpenter's plane, Aleck," answeredDick, with a laugh. "A biplane is a certain kind of a flying machine."
"Wat's dat? A flyin' machine? Shorely, Massa Dick, yo' ain't gwine totry to fly?" exclaimed Aleck, in horror.
"That is just what I am going to do, Aleck, after I have had a fewlessons. I hope to fly right over the house, just like a bird."
"No! no! Don't you try dat, Massa Dick! You'll break yo' neck suah!Don't yo' try it! I--I can't allow it nohow--an' yo' aunt won't allow itneither!" And the colored man shook his head most emphatically.
"Now, don't get excited, Aleck," said Dick, calmly. "I won't go up untilI am sure of what I am doing. Why, don't you know that flying in the airis getting to be a common thing these days? Tom and Sam and I boughtthat biplane in New York last week, and a man who knows all about flyingis coming out to the farm to teach us how to run it. After we know howto sail through the air we'll take you up with us."
"Me!" ejaculated the colored man, and rolled his eyes wildly. "Not in athousand years, Massa Dick, an' not fo' all dat treasure yo' dun brunghome from Treasure Isle! No, sah, de ground am good enough fo' AleckPop!" And he backed away, as if afraid Dick Rover might carry him offthen and there.
"Hello, Aleck!" cried a merry voice at this moment, and Tom Rover cameinto view. "Want to take a sail through the clouds for a change?"
"Massa Tom, am yo' really thinking ob goin' up in dat contraption?"demanded the colored man, earnestly.
"Sure thing, Aleck. And you'll want to go, too, before long. Think offlying along like a bird!" And Tom Rover spread out his arms and movedthem slowly up and down. "Oh, it's grand!"
"Yo' won't be no bird when yo' come down ker-flop!" murmured Aleck,soberly. "Yo' will be all busted up, dat's wot yo'll be!"
"We won't fall, don't you worry," continued Tom. "This biplane is afirst-class machine, warranted in all kinds of weather."
"If it am a flyin' machine wot fo' you call it a biplane?" asked thecolored man curiously.
"Bi stands for two," explained Dick. "A bicycle means two cycles, or twowheels. A biplane means two planes, or two surfaces of canvas. Thisbiplane of ours, as you can see, has two surfaces, or decks, an upperand a lower. A monoplane has only one plane, and a triplane has three.Now you understand, don't you, Aleck?"
"I dun reckon I do, Massa Dick. But look yeah, boys, yo' take my advicean' don't yo' try to sail frough de air in dat bicycleplane, or wot yo'call it. 'Tain't safe nohow! Yo' stick to de hosses, an' datautermobile, an' de boat on de ribber. A boy wasn't meant to be a birdnohow!"
"How about being an angel, Aleck?" asked Tom, slyly.
"Huh! An angel, eh? Well, if yo' go up in dat bicycleplane maybe yo'will be an angel after yo' fall out, even if yo' ain't one when yo'starts." And with this remark Aleck Pop hurried away to his work in thehouse.
"That's one on you, Tom," cried Dick, with a broad smile. "Poor Aleck!he evidently has no use for flying machines."
"Well, Dick, now the machine is together, it does look rather scary,"answered Tom Rover, slowly. "I want to see that aviator try it outpretty well before I risk my neck going up."
"Oh, so do I. And we'll have to have a good many lessons in running theengine, and in steering, and all that. I begin to think running a flyingmachine is a good deal harder than running an auto, or a motor boat."
"Yes, I guess it is. Come on down and let us see how the engine works.We can do that easily enough, for it's a good deal like the engine ofan auto, or a motor boat," went on Tom.
"Where is Sam?"
"He took the auto and went down to the Corners on an errand for AuntMartha. He said he'd be back as soon as possible. He's as crazy to getat the biplane as either of us."
The two boys walked to where the biplane had been put together, in alarge open wagon shed attached to the rear of the big barn. The biplanehas a stretch from side to side of over thirty feet, and the shed hadbeen cleaned out from end to end to make room for it. There was a rudderin front and another behind, and in the centre was a broad cane seat,with a steering wheel, and several levers for controlling the craft.Back of the seat was the engine, lightly built but powerful, and abovewas a good-sized tank of gasoline. The framework of the biplane was ofbamboo, held together by stays of piano wire, and the planes themselveswere of canvas, especially prepared so as to be almost if not quite airproof. All told, the machine was a fine one, thoroughly up-to-date, andhad cost considerable money.
"We'll have to get a name for this machine," remarked Tom. "Have you anyin mind?"
"Well, I--er--thought we might call her the--er----" And then his bigbrother stopped short and grew slightly red in the face.
"I'll bet an apple you were going to say _Dora_," cried Tom quickly.
"Humph," murmured Dick. "Maybe you were going to suggest _Nellie_."
"No, I wasn't," returned Tom, and now he got a little red also. "If Idid that, Sam might come along and want to name it the _Grace_. We hadbetter give the girls' names a rest. Let's call her the _Dartaway_, thatis, if she really does dart away when she flies."
"All right, Tom; that's a first-class name," responded Dick. "And_Dartaway_ she shall become, if Sam is willing. Now then, we'll fillthat gasoline tank and let the engine warm up a bit. Probably it willneed some adjusting."
"Can we use the same gasoline as we use in the auto?"
"Yes, on ordinary occasions. In a race you can use a higher grade, sothat aviator said. But then you'll have to readjust the magneto andcarburetor."
"Gracious, Dick! You're not thinking of an air race already, are you!"
"Oh, no! But we might get in a race some day,--and such things are goodto know," answered Dick, as he walked off to the garage, where therewas a barrel of gasoline sunk in the ground, with a pipe connection. Hegot out a five-gallon can and filled it, and then poured the gasoline inthe tank of the biplane.
"She'll hold more than that," said Tom, watching him. "Here, give me thecan and I'll fill the tank while we are at it. We'll want plenty of gaswhen that aviator gets here."
In a few minutes more the gasoline tank was full, and then the two ladsbusied themselves putting the engine in running order, and in filling upthe lubricating oil box. They also oiled up the working parts, and oiledthe propeller bearings and the steering gear.
"Now, I guess she is all ready to run," remarked Dick, at length. "My,but isn't she a beauty, Tom! Just think of sailing around in her!"
"I'd like to go up right now!" answered the brother. "If only I knewmore about airships, hang me if I wouldn't try it!"
"Don't you dream of it, yet!" answered Dick. "We've got to learn the artof it, just like a baby has got to learn to walk. If you went up nowyou'd come down with a smash sure."
"Maybe I would," mused Tom. "Well, let us try the engine anyhow. Andmaybe we can try the propellers," he added, with a longing glance atthe smooth, wooden blades.
"One thing at a time," answered Dick, with a laugh. "We'll try theengine, but we'll have to tie the biplane fast, or else it may run intosomething and get smashed."
"Let us run her out into the field first. It's too gloomy in the shed.I'll hammer in some stakes and tie her."
The biplane rested on three small rubber-tired wheels, placed in theform of a triangle. Thus it was an easy matter to roll the big machinefrom the shed to the level field beyond
. Then Tom ran back and procuredsome stakes, several ropes, and a hammer, and soon he had the biplanestaked fast to the ground, after the manner of a small circus tent.
"Now she can't break loose, even if you do start the engine and thepropellers," said he, as he surveyed his work. "Go ahead, Dick, and turnon the juice!" he cried impatiently.
Dick Rover was just as anxious to see the engine work, and after anothercritical inspection he turned on the battery and then walked to one ofthe propellers.
"We'll have to start the engine by turning these," he said.
"All right!" cried Tom, catching hold of the other wooden blades. "Nowthen, all ready? Heave ahoy, my hearty!" he added, in sailor fashion.
Four times were the wooden blades "turned over" and still the enginerefused to respond. It was hard work, and both of the lads perspiredfreely, for it was a hot day in early September.
"Got that spark connected all right?" panted Tom, as he stopped to catchhis breath.
"Yes," was the reply, after Dick had made an inspection. "The engine iscold, that's all."
"Humph, well I'm not! But come on, let us give her another twist."
The brothers took hold again, and, at a word from Dick, each gave thewooden paddles of the propellers a vigorous turn. There came a suddenhiss, followed by a crack and a bang, and then off the engine startedwith the loudness of a gattling gun.
"Hurrah! she's started!" yelled Tom, triumphantly. "Say, but she makessome noise, doesn't she?" he added.
"I should say yes. That's because airship engines don't have mufflers,like autos," yelled back Dick, to make himself heard above theexplosions.
"And see those propellers go around!" went on Tom, in deep admiration."All you can see is a whirr! We sure have a dandy engine in this craft,Dick!"
"Looks so, doesn't it?" returned Dick, also in admiration. "I reckon the_Dartaway_ will give a good account of herself, when she is properlyhandled. Now, I had better stop the propellers, I guess," he added,moving toward the front of the biplane to do so.
"Yes! yes! stop em!" yelled Tom, suddenly. "Hurry up, Dick! See how sheis straining to break the ropes! Say, she wants to go up!"
Dick was startled and with good reason. Even while his brother wasspeaking there came a sudden snap, and one of the ropes flew apart. Thenup out of the ground came the stake holding another rope. The bigbiplane, thus released on one side, slewed around, and Tom was knockedflat. Then came another snap and two more ropes flew apart.
"She's going! stop her!" screamed Tom, from where he lay, and the nextmoment he saw Dick struck full in the face by the machine. Down went theyouth backwards, and as he fell, with a rush and a roar, the biplanesped over the level ground for a distance of two hundred feet and thenwent sailing into the air, headed almost point blank for the Roverhomestead, less than fifty rods away!