CHAPTER XVII
THE AEROPLANE
“Look out!” yelled Bob, though why, he could not have told. It was toolate for that advice.
“What do you mean--running us down?” fiercely demanded Ned.
The _Neboje_, after heeling well over, swung back, and slowly came toan even keel, while the _Avis_, under a reversed engine, backed away.
“You did that on purpose!” cried Ned, shaking his fist at Frank, whodid not seem at all put out by the accident. “You don’t know anymore about steering a boat than a cow!” went on Ned. “You did thisdeliberately, and you’ll pay for it, too.”
“You got in my way,” said Frank coolly. “You saw the course I wassteering. I had a right to it. You should have gone to port.”
“That’s how little you know about boating,” said Jerry as calmly ashe could under the circumstances. “It was you who should have steeredover.”
Frank did not reply to this, but again started his boat for the landingplace. Ned, who had shut off the engine when he saw that a collisionwas inevitable, started it again, and went on to the place where the_Neboje_ was usually moored.
“You’d better take some steering lessons,” shouted Ned after Frank.“But then it’s what I’d expect of a fellow who would squeal on othersabout a feed, and hand the proc the key to the room.”
“Who says I did that?” cried Frank, leaping out of his boat and runningto where Ned stood on the dock.
“I do!” answered Ned truculently, “and I’m ready to back it up!” Hebegan taking off his coat, an example followed by Frank.
“You can’t fight here,” said Ted Newton, stepping in between the angryyouths. “If you want to have it out, do it regularly.”
“Oh, I’ll do it!” cried Ned.
“And you’ll find me there!” added Frank with a sneer. “I’ll make youtake back what you said.”
“And I’ll make you pay for damaging our boat!” retorted Ned.
The details of the fight that followed in the secluded place appointedby college custom for such affairs may be passed over. Suffice it tosay that Ned and Frank were evenly matched, and each received about thesame amount of punishment--black eyes being administered to both, withvarious cuts and bruises.
And the fight did not settle either point. Ned refused to take backwhat he had said to Frank about the key. Nor would Frank pay for thedamage to the _Neboje_, though the damage was not as great as hadoriginally been feared.
So matters stood about where they were at first, with this exception,that there was more bad blood between our heroes and Frank and hischums.
But in spite of this Ned, Bob and Jerry were finding life at BoxwoodHall very much to their liking. It is true they had enemies,principally those of Frank’s set, and they had rivals, as might beexpected. But they also made many friends. What boys would not who wereas manly and as jolly as the Cresville chums, and who had, moreover,a fine car and a motor boat? The latter had been repaired and many ajolly trip our friends had in her.
They also went on outings in the machine, Professor Snodgrass goingalong occasionally, to look for late fall insects. One day the littlescientist, learning that Bob, Ned, Jerry and Tom Bacon were going inthe direction of Fox Swamp, mentioned the fact that he wanted to gothere also, to see if he could not find a certain species of very largebeetle, which, at this time of the year, burrowed into the ground,there to remain until warm weather came again.
“Come along,” said Jerry, who was at the wheel; and they were soonspeeding in the direction of Fairview.
“This is some way to come to college!” exclaimed Tom, enthusiastically.“A motor boat and a car would make college worth while to anyone.”
“And Boxwood Hall is a dandy place!” exclaimed Ned.
As they passed the fair grounds, scenes of activity were noted.
“Looks as though something was going on,” remarked Bob.
“There is,” said Tom. “The fair opens to-morrow, and there’s going tobe an aeroplane flight. I’m coming over.”
The other boys expressed their intention of doing the same. On theirarrival at the swamp Professor Snodgrass enlisted the aid of the ladsin looking for the large beetle.
“If you see some round holes in the ground, with a little heap of earthon two sides of it, you may know the beetle is there,” he said.
“Why _two_ heaps of earth?” asked Ned. “There is only one when ants digout their chambers under ground.”
“That is one of the peculiarities of this beetle,” said the littlescientist, as he mentioned the Latin name. “It burrows into the ground,and brings up the excavated earth, putting it in two almost exactlyeven piles. Just why, we have never been able to learn.”
The boys scattered, to look for beetle holes, for they liked theprofessor and were always glad to help him in his scientific work,especially when it was of an odd turn, such as this.
“Here’s a hole--I’ve found one!” cried Ned, and Professor Snodgrass,hurrying over, confirmed the discovery.
“The beetle is working down there now,” he said. “You can tell that bythe freshness of the piles of earth.” The boys saw that there were twolittle earth-piles, just as the scientist had said. Professor Snodgrassknelt down over the hole.
“What are you going to do?” Jerry asked.
“Get the beetle,” was the answer.
The professor inserted his two fingers in the opening, and beganfeeling about. Suddenly a queer look came over his face, and he utteredan exclamation.
“Did you get the beetle?” asked Bob.
“Er--yes, I--I think so,” was the hesitating answer. “Or perhaps itwould be more correct to say that the beetle has _me_. My! how hepinches!”
The professor pulled up his fingers, and clinging to one of them was alarge, black beetle, which had drawn blood.
“Look at that, would you!” cried Bob. “I wouldn’t want one of them toget on me.”
“They _have_ rather powerful mandibles,” admitted the professor. “Ifone of you will hand me my cyanide bottle I’ll get rid of this fellow.”
Jerry handed over a large-mouthed bottle which the scientist had placedwith his specimen box a little distance from him. The bottom of theflask was filled with plaster of Paris, in which was mixed cyanideof potassium. This gives off a very poisonous gas. Insects droppedinto the bottle die painlessly. The professor held the beetle, stillclinging to his finger, down inside the bottle, and in a few secondsthe queer, burrowing insect dropped to the bottom of the bottle, whichthe professor corked.
“A very successful capture,” he remarked. “Now for another.”
“Do you mean to say you are going to put your fingers down another holeand run the chance of getting bitten?” asked Jerry.
“Oh, I don’t mind a little bite like this,” said Professor Snodgrass,putting some peroxide on the punctures. “I must have another beetle.”
“And he got it, too!” said Jerry, telling about the incident afterward,“or rather, the beetle got him again, on another finger.”
The professor was enthusiastic over his specimens, even though thebites poisoned him so that his fingers swelled up, and he could notwrite for a week. But he said it was worth all the pain.
“Well, shall we take in the fair?” asked Jerry of his chums the nextday after lunch.
“Sure thing!” cried Ned. “I want to see if they have anything new inaeroplanes.”
“They’ll have to go some to beat the motor ship we had,” observed Bob.“But we’ll have some fun, anyhow. Let’s make up a crowd and go in themachine.”
This was agreed to, and with Tom Bacon, George Fitch, Ted Newton andChet Randell, the boys set off for Fairview that afternoon, “cutting”some lectures in order to make the trip.
The fair grounds were a lively place, for tents and booths had beenput up over night, and, gaily decorated with flags and bunting, made apleasing picture that bright October day.
“There’s the aeroplane over there!” cried Ned, as they went to
theparking place with their automobile.
“Two of ’em!” added Bob. “They’re just the ordinary type, though.Nothing like what we had.”
“Did you fellows really have an aeroplane?” asked Tom.
“Sure we did!” answered Jerry.
“These have self-starters,” remarked Ned, as he and the othersinspected the aeroplanes.
“And they carry double,” added Bob.
There was a big crowd around the air craft, for it had been announcedthat a race was about to take place. Jerry and his chums saw FrankWatson and his crowd near the biplanes, and Frank, looking at ourheroes, said sneeringly, and loudly enough to be heard by them:
“This is the kind of machine the motor boys said they had. Humph! Idon’t believe they’d dare go up in a balloon!”
“The cad!” muttered Ned. “I’ll show him!”
“Now quiet down,” ordered Jerry. “If you don’t----”
At that moment one of the aviators stepped forward and addressed thethrong.
“Is there any one here who has been up in an aeroplane, and who iswilling to go up again?” the man asked. “My partner has failed toarrive, and we can’t have the race unless I take some one up with me.Will any one volunteer?”
Ned Slade stepped forward.