Project Gutenberg's The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing, by John Luther Langworthy

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Title: The Aeroplane Boys on the Wing Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics

Author: John Luther Langworthy

Release Date: January 13, 2004 [EBook #10698]

Language: English

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE AEROPLANE BOYS ON THE WING ***

Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Rosanna Yuen and PG Distributed Proofreaders

THE AEROPLANE BOYS ON THE WING

or,

Aeroplane Chums in the Tropics

BY JOHN LUTHER LANGWORTHY

1912

The further trials and triumphs of the venturesome aeroplane lads are set forth in a particularly thrilling manner in the third volume of this series, now on sale everywhere, and which is entitled, "The Bird Boys Among the Clouds; or, Young Aviators in a Wreck."

CONTENTS

CHAPTER

I. ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE GAME

II. FRANK'S WAY

III. SOMETHING ABOUT THE BIRD BOYS

IV. A STARTLING DISCOVERY

V. A WARM FIVE MINUTES

VI. IN SEARCH OF A CLUE

VII. ANDY RECEIVES A SHOCK

VIII. THE MESSAGE

IX. UNDER TROUBLED SKIES

X. NIPPED IN THE BUD

XI. OUT OF THE FRYING PAN INTO THE FIRE

XII. A GREAT SURPRISE

XIII. THE "DEVIL-BIRD"

XIV. THE AIRSHIP LAUNCHED AT LAST

XV. AN UNPLEASANT SURPRISE

XVI. THE AIR CHASE

XVII. THE CAMP IN THE TROPICAL JUNGLE

XVIII. WHEN FRANK STOOD GUARD

XIX. FIREBRANDS AND JAGUARS

XX. THE AEROPLANE BOYS ONCE MORE AFLOAT

XXI. THE LAST LITTLE HOT AIR BALLOON

XXII. RESCUED

XXIII. HOMEWARD BOUND—CONCLUSION

THE AEROPLANE BOYS ON THE WING

or, Aeroplane Chums in The Tropics

* * * * *

CHAPTER I.

ON THE WAY BACK FROM THE GAME.

"But the Bird boys won the prize of a silver cup!"

"What if they did? It was by a hair's breadth, Mr. Smarty!"

"And their monoplane was proven to be faster than the big biplane you built, Puss Carberry!"

"Oh! was it? Don't you be too sure of that, Larry!"

"Didn't it land on the summit of Old Thunder Top ahead of you and Sandy, in the race that afternoon? Tell me that!" and Larry Geohegan bristled up to the recognized bully of Bloomsbury, while a dozen fellows clustered around on the deck of the big power boat, listening eagerly to this war of words.

They were on their way home from a very exciting game of baseball that had been played at Cranford, across the lake. And after ten innings of hot work the nine from Bloomsbury had won. But not until they had changed pitchers, upon tying the score in the ninth, after coming up from behind.

Puss and Larry both wore the uniform of the home players, and there were others on the boat who also belonged to the team. In fact, the staunch vessel had been placed at the disposal of the baseball club for this day, by Commodore Elliott, the rich owner.

Larry had never been one of the adherents whom Puss could call upon to back him up when he tried conclusions with a hostile faction; in fact, Larry had always been an admirer of Frank Bird, who was recognized as the most persistent rival the bully had ever encountered in his whole career since coming to Bloomsbury.

Puss allowed a contemptuous expression to take possession of his face, and even shrugged his broad shoulders, after a nasty fashion he had, that often angered the one he was arguing with more than words could have done.

"Aw! rats!" he said, in a disagreeable, rasping voice. "Everybody knows that I'd won that same race only for trouble with my engine. Frank was lucky, just like he generally is when he goes in for anything. Look at him today, being called in to pitch in the tenth! We had 'em badly rattled, and they were on the toboggan sure. Yet Frank, the great hero, gets credit for winning that game. Didn't the Bloomsbury crowd cheer him to the echo, though, and want to ride him on their shoulders? Wow! it makes me sick, to see such toadyism!"

"What's all this big noise about, fellows? Didn't I hear my name mentioned?" asked a tall lad with a frank face and clear brown eyes, as he pushed forward.

It was Frank Bird himself, who had been talking with his cousin Andy, and several other fellows, in the bow of the launch, and by accident heard the voices that were raised in dispute.

Percy Carberry, known among his comrades simply as "Puss," did not flinch when he found himself face to face with the boy he detested so thoroughly. They had never as yet actually come to blows; but Puss believed that his muscular powers were far superior to those of his more slender rival, and just now he was in a particularly bitter frame of mind.

"Oh! so you're there, are you?" he sneered "I was just telling your good friend Larry here that I considered you a greatly overrated substitute pitcher; and that luck had as much to do with our winning that game today as anything you did."

Frank Bird laughed in his face.

"Sure," he declared, cheerily. "I was a mighty small factor in the victory, for I only played in one short inning. If I'd faced those hard hitters of Cranford nine times I reckon it'd be hard to tell what they'd have done to my poor inshoots and curves."

"But you held them in that inning, Frank, you know you did!" cried
Larry.

"Mere accident, my boy. Happened to be the weak end of their batting list!" observed Frank, as if determined to agree with his enemy, and thus spike his guns.

"Is that so?" demanded "Elephant" Small, who did not happen to be on the nine, because of his customary slow ways. "Perhaps you'll be saying that dandy two-bagger you whanged out, that brought in the winning run, was also an accident?"

"Well, I must have just shut my eyes, and struck. I seem to remember hearing a sound like a shot, and then they all yelled to me to run; so I did, going on to second in time to see Peterkin gallop home," and Frank looked as sober as a judge as he said this. The others saw the joke, however, and, led by Larry, burst out into a laugh that made Puss and his loyal backers scowl.

"If that bingle was an accident, don't we wish we had a few more players who could shut their eyes and meet Frazer's terrible speed balls and curves in the same way!" one fellow exclaimed.

"So say we all of us!" another cried.

Puss realized that the majority on board the Siren were against him. But he was not