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135 pages

English

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The second installment in John Henry Goldfrap's beloved Boy Aviators series has brothers Frank and Harry and their best friend Billy signing up to help the government with a top-secret task. After building a new plane to replace the one lost in a previous mission, the friends head to the Everglades to thwart enemies foreign and domestic.

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Adventure (Guyana)

Adventure

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Publié par	The Floating Press
Date de parution	01 avril 2016
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9781776599257
Langue	English

Informations légales : prix de location à la page 0,0134€. Cette information est donnée uniquement à titre indicatif conformément à la législation en vigueur.

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THE BOY AVIATORS ON SECRET SERVICE
WORKING WITH WIRELESS
* * *
JOHN HENRY GOLDFRAP

*
The Boy Aviators on Secret Service Working with Wireless First published in 1910 Epub ISBN 978-1-77659-925-7 Also available: PDF ISBN 978-1-77659-926-4 © 2014 The Floating Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. While every effort has been used to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the information contained in The Floating Press edition of this book, The Floating Press does not assume liability or responsibility for any errors or omissions in this book. The Floating Press does not accept responsibility for loss suffered as a result of reliance upon the accuracy or currency of information contained in this book. Do not use while operating a motor vehicle or heavy equipment. Many suitcases look alike. Visit www.thefloatingpress.com
Contents
*
Chapter I - An Important Commission Chapter II - The Boys Meet an Old Friend,—And an Enemy Chapter III - A Tramp with Field-Glasses Chapter IV - A Plot Discovered Chapter V - Two Rascals Get a Shock Chapter VI - The Start for the 'Glades Chapter VII - A Night Attack Chapter VIII - The Men of the Island Chapter IX - A Message from the Unknown Chapter X - The Captive's Warning Chapter XI - The Black Squall Chapter XII - Pork Chops Proves His Metal Chapter XIII - The Front Door of the 'Glades Chapter XIV - Close Quarters with 'Gators Chapter XV - An Island Mystery Chapter XVI - The Boys Make an Acquisition Chapter XVII - The Everglades in an Aeroplane Chapter XVIII - A Night Alarm Chapter XIX - On the Mound-Builders' Island Chapter XX - Captain Bellman's Island Chapter XXI - A Bold Dash Chapter XXII - Ben Stubbs Disappears Chapter XXIII - The Boy Aviators Trapped Chapter XXIV - A Startling Meeting Chapter XXV - Quatty as a Scout Chapter XXVI - Lathrop as an Air Pilot Chapter XXVII - Hemmed in by Flames Chapter XXVIII - The Black Aeroplane Chapter XXIX - The Last of Bellman's Crew
Chapter I - An Important Commission
*
"Come in!"
The gray-haired man who uttered these words gazed sharply up at the doorof the private office of the Secretary of the Navy's Bureau, atWashington, D. C., as he spoke. He was evidently anticipating callers ofmore than usual importance judging from his expectant look. The oldnegro who had knocked opened the door and respectfully stood waiting.
"Well, Pinckney?"
"Dey have come, sah."
"Ah; good,—show them in at once."
The old negro bowed respectfully and withdrew. A few seconds later hereappeared and ushered in two bright looking youths of sixteen andfourteen with the announcement in a pompous tone of voice:
"Messrs. Frank and Harry Chester."
Frank, the elder of the two brothers, was a well set up youngster withcrisp, wavy brown hair and steady gray eyes. Harry, his junior by twoyears, had the same cool eyes but with a merrier expression in them. He,like Frank, was a well-knit, broad-shouldered youth. Both boys weretanned to an almost mahogany tinge for they had only returned a few daysbefore from Nicaragua, where they had passed through a series of strangeadventures and perils in their air-ship, the Golden Eagle , perhaps,before her destruction in an electric storm, the best known craft of herkind in the world and one which they had built themselves from top planeto landing wheels.
The Secretary of the Navy, for such was the office held by thegray-haired man, looked at the two youths in front of him with someperplexity for a moment.
"You are the Boy Aviators we have all heard so much of?" he inquired atlength with a note of frank incredulity in his voice.
"We are, sir," rejoined Frank, with just the ghost of a smile playingabout his lips at the great man's evident astonishment—and its equallyevident cause.
"I beg your pardon," hastily spoke up the Secretary of the Navy, who hadobserved Frank's amusement; "but you seem—"
"I know what you were thinking, sir," interrupted Frank, "that we arevery young to undertake such exacting service as Admiral Kimballoutlined to us in Nicaragua."
"You have guessed just right, my boy," rejoined the other, with a heartylaugh at Frank's taking his thoughts and putting them into such exactwords, "but your youth has evidently not interfered with your progressif all the reports I have heard of you are true. Sit down," he went on,"and we will talk over the proposal the Department has to make to you."
The boys set down their straw hats and seated themselves in two chairsfacing the grizzled official. Both listened attentively as he began.
"When Admiral Kimball wrote to me about you, telling me that he hadfound in the two sons of Planter Chester of Nicaragua the very agents wewanted for a particularly dangerous and difficult mission," he said, "Iat once sent for you to come here from New York to see for myself if hisjudgment was correct. I have not been disappointed—"
The boys colored with pleasure.
"My brief observation of you has confirmed to my mind his report and Iam going to entrust to you the responsibility of this undertaking. Now,"he went on impressively, "the government has been experimenting for sometime in secret with Chapinite, a new explosive of terrific power, theinvention—as its name makes apparent—of Lieut. Bob Chapin of theUnited States Navy. I say 'has been experimenting' advisedly. It is sono more.
"The formula of the explosive has disappeared from the archives of thedepartment and, what is still more serious, Lieutenant Chapin himself ismissing."
"The agents of the Secret Service force have worked in vain on the casewithout discovering much more than the one very important fact that thegovernment of a far Eastern power has recently been experimenting withan explosive whose effects and manifestations make it almost undoubtedthat the stuff is Chapinite. By a tedious process of observation anddeduction the men have traced the shipments as far as the west Floridacoast but there all clues have ended. Weeks of work have left us as muchin the dark as ever as to the location of the source of supply of thefar Eastern power. But that somewhere within the untracked wildernessesof the Everglades a plant has been set up in which Chapinite is beingmanufactured in large quantities is a practical certainty to my mind.
"It is useless for the secret service men to attempt to explore what isstill an unmapped labyrinth of swamp and jungle and above all it wouldoccupy time. What we have to do is to act quickly. I racked my brain fordays until I happened to come across a paragraph in a newspaper callingattention to your wonderful flights in the Golden Eagle , and thenfollowed Admiral Kimball's dispatch. It struck me at once that hereindeed was a way of locating these men that might prove feasible—I say'might' because if you boys accept the commission I do not want toabsolutely impose the condition of success upon you. All that we shallexpect of you is that you will do your best.
"Will you accept the assignment?"
The blunt question almost took the boys off their feet so to speak. Theyexchanged glances and then Frank said:
"As you perhaps know, sir, our first aeroplane, the Golden Eagle —"
"In which you rescued William Barnes, a newspaper correspondent, from acamp in which he was held prisoner," remarked the Secretary—"you see Ihave followed your doings closely."
"Exactly," went on Frank; "that first Golden Eagle is at the bottom ofthe sea. She went down when we were driven off the land in a tropicalelectric storm and it was only the fact that she was equipped withwireless, with which we signaled a passing steamer, that saved us fromsharing her fate.
"We might, however, construct a second one. In fact I have the designspartially drawn up. She would be a more powerful craft than the firstand capable of even longer sustained flights."
"The very thing!" exclaimed his listener enthusiastically, "then youwill accept the commission?"
"I have not yet said that we would," rejoined Frank, calmly. "As youhave described the situation it looks rather like a wild-goose chase;however, I think that if my brother agrees that we might consent to tryto do our best."
"Of course I agree, Frank," cried Harry enthusiastically. The verymention of anything that promised exciting adventures was sufficient toenlist Harry's ardent interest.
"Then it is as good as settled," concluded the Secretary. "The thing isnow, how long will it take you to build this craft?"
"We shall require at least three weeks," replied Frank.
The Secretary almost groaned.
"It is a long time—or at least it seems so," he corrected, "when thereis so much at stake."
"It would be quite impossible to construct a suitable aeroplane in alesser period;" rejoined Frank, with finality in his tones.
"Then I suppose we shall have to exercise patience," remarked thesecretary. "You will of course need funds. How much shall you require doyou suppose?"
"We cannot build a second Golden Eagle for less than ten thousanddollars to start with," was the quiet reply.
"Ten thousand dollars?" repeated the secretary, in tones of amazement.
"It does sound like a good deal of money," replied Frank, "but if youwere more familiar with aeroplane construction you would see that it isnot exorbitant. Everything that enters into the construction of an aircraft must be of the very best and strongest material. The engine aloneis a heavy item of expense and besides must be of specially preparedmetals and hand machined."
"I see," replied the secretary. "You know best. I will see thatarrangements are made to provide you with everything you require. Wheredo you intend to build the ship?"
"There is a place at White Plains, some miles out from the town and backin the hills," replied Frank, "that is in every way suited for ourpurpose. It is off any main road and we can work there in quiet. Webuilt the first Golden Eagle there and I don't think that outside ofourselves and our workmen half a dozen people knew about it."
"The very thing," replied the secretary. "Of course I need not impr