CHAPTER XXIX

PREPARING FOR THE BIG MEET

“Well, Link, I rather think we have done some good work with those handbills.”

“I think so myself, Joe. Anyway, we distributed them as well as we could,” returned the carpenter’s son. “Shall we steer for home now?”

“Might as well--while the weather is fine. Fred will want to go up to-morrow.”

Joe and Link had been out a day and a half in the _Skylark_, scattering the handbills of the aero meet far and wide over the countryside. Now they headed for Lakeport.

Their last stop had been at a small village located near the upper end of the stream in which was located Shag’s Island. Now, as they arose once again in the air, Joe, who was steering, turned the _Skylark_ down the river in the direction of Pine Lake.

“There is Shag’s Island!” cried Link, as they came in sight of the spot. “Wonder if anybody is on it? I’ve got a few more bills left. We might drop ’em a couple.”

He yelled at the top of his voice and motioned to the island and to his bills, and his chum understood. Soon they were steering directly over the upper end of the island. They were quite low, for the biplane was running well, and as there was no wind, Joe saw no reason for going higher.

Suddenly Link, looking down, gave a start. Then he looked again, and motioned for Joe to do likewise. In the water below they beheld a sinking motor boat, containing four persons. All appeared to be struggling to save themselves.

It was a most unexpected sight, and for the instant the aircraft boys did not know what to do. Then Joe, without hesitation, brought the biplane around on a rather sharp turn and sent the craft downward.

“What are you going to do?” demanded Link, as the motor was shut off and all became silent.

“Land on the water, if I can, Link, and find out what is wrong. Maybe we can save somebody from drowning.”

“You’ll sink the _Skylark_!”

“I think not. There is a big sandbar. I’ll land her there.”

The biplane was volplaning earthward. Close to the sinking motor boat was a long, wide sandbar, and down on this came the _Skylark_, the little wheels underneath sending the shallow water splashing in all directions. The aircraft came to a halt close to the edge of Shag’s Island.

“Why, it’s Harry!” burst out Link. “And Si Voup and Ike Boardman!”

“And Mr. Akers!” added Joe. “How in the world did they get here?”

He ran out over the rocks in the direction of the sinking motor boat and the carpenter’s son followed. The boat was slowly sliding from the rock it had hit to the deep water beyond. Harry had caught hold of Andrew Akers and was doing all in his power to keep the old inventor from going under. Si and Ike were swimming for the shore, bent on saving themselves.

“Keep up, Harry!” yelled his brother. “We are coming!”

At the sound of that voice the younger Westmore boy turned. His surprise at seeing Joe and Link may be imagined. But he did not cease his struggles. He continued to support the old inventor, who now lay exhausted in his arms.

Half wading and half swimming, Joe and Link reached the spot side by side. Each placed himself close to Andrew Akers, and between them the three boys presently managed to gain a sandbar reaching to the island. Then they carried the old man to the shore. The struggle in the water had exhausted him, but otherwise he was no worse off than he had been before.

“The motor boat is done for!” cried Si, as he limped up, dripping wet, and followed by Ike.

“Well, let us be thankful that we weren’t drowned,” answered Harry.

“Humph! Somebody will have to pay for my boat.”

“Where is that man?” burst out Ike, looking up and down the shore.

All who had come from the motor boat then remembered Lamar Chase, and gazed around for him. But that individual had suddenly disappeared.

“I guess he thought we were getting too many for him,” was Harry’s conclusion.

“Maybe he has gone to get help,” suggested Ike, but at this the others shook their heads.

Of course Joe and Link wanted to know the particulars of what had occurred, and taking them out of hearing of the others, Harry related his story.

“I don’t know how guilty Si and Ike are,” he said. “But they certainly aided Mason and Chase in carrying Mr. Akers off to Pine Island in the motor boat, and maybe to that hut, and then to this place.”

“This whole thing must be thrashed out after we get home,” decided Joe. “The main question now is, How are all of us to reach Lakeport?”

This was talked over for several minutes, and finally Link said he would sail the _Skylark_ back to town for assistance, leaving the two Westmore boys to look after Andrew Akers. None of the lads was willing to trust Si or Ike.

It was no mean task to get the biplane to rise from the sandbar, and in making the attempt the young aviator wet himself thoroughly by flying spray. But he got away successfully and at once headed for Lakeport.

The news that Link brought caused much excitement, and a motor boat was at once hired by Mr. Westmore to bring the boys and Andrew Akers to town. The run to the island was made by the middle of the afternoon, and before dark the boys, including Si and Ike, were home again, and Andrew Akers was being cared for at the Westmore house. Si and Ike had little to say, and it was easy to see that the pair were doing a deal of thinking.

Mr. and Mrs. Westmore had been told of the old inventor’s antipathy to doctors, so the family physician was allowed to come in as a friend only. He examined Mr. Akers and then left some medicine, which Mrs. Westmore administered.

“He needs rest and nourishment as much as anything,” said the doctor, “especially if he is suffering from being drugged in some manner. Keep him quiet for a few days.”

“We’ll try to do that,” answered Mr. Westmore. “But he is very anxious, now he has escaped from those who were holding him a prisoner, to get back what belongs to him.”

“Well, you can’t blame him for that. But keep him as quiet as you can,” said the doctor.

The next day was an important one for the Westmore boys and Link, and also for Si and Ike. A conference was held at the Rush home, and each of the boys was asked to tell what he knew. At first Si and Ike wanted to keep silent, but at last they broke down and confessed that they had aided Chase and Mason in transferring Andrew Akers to Pine Island. They said that the old inventor was under the influence of some drug at the time and that they had been told he was insane and that the other two men were his relatives. They said that on the trip the men had had a fight with Mr. Akers, and the boat had been more or less damaged. They had gotten in the mix-up, and after it was over they had been afraid to come home for several days.

“Were you paid for what you did?” asked Mr. Rush.

“Not a cent,” cried Si. “They promised us big money, but we didn’t get it.”

“Did you help to take Mr. Akers from Pine Island to that hut on the other shore?” asked Mr. Westmore.

“No, sir.”

“How about going up to Shag’s Island?” queried Mr. Rush.

“We saw Mr. Chase and Mr. Mason going up a couple of days ago and we followed them, thinking we could get some money for what we had done,” answered Si. “But we missed them, and then we ran up on the sandbar and couldn’t get off.”

“What about those two strange men you had in the motor boat, the Sunday you went up Cresco way?” asked Joe.

“Oh, those were a couple of sports we picked up,” and Si grew red in the face over the recollection of how he and Ike had gambled with those same fellows and lost their money. “We soon dropped them,” he added.

After that the bully and his crony were dismissed and then Harry told his story of going to the island and finding the old man--and of the talk between Mason and Chase. Then he told of the wrecking of the motor boat, and Joe and Link related the particulars of what they had done.

“One thing is certain,” said Mr. Westmore. “Those rascals have been holding Mr. Akers against his will. On that charge alone they can be arrested and sent to prison. How he is to get his property back is another story. I think we had better get some first-class lawyer on the case, in spite of the fact that Mr. Akers doesn’t approve of the legal profession.”

“Well, we can’t attend to this, at least not now,” protested Joe. “We’ve got this aero meet on our hands.”

“You attend to your flying contests,” answered his father with a smile. “Mr. Rush and I will look after this other affair. Now that you have advertised your aero meet far and wide you must see to it that everything goes off without a hitch.” Then the boys were questioned a little further and finally told they could go.

“Wonder what Si and Ike will do about the motor boat?” questioned Fred, as he came away with the others.

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” answered Harry. “They have done so many mean things it would serve them right to lose the boat.” But the motor boat was not lost. A few days later some boat builders were hired by Mr. Voup to raise the craft and repair her. This was not done so much on Si’s account as it was for the benefit of the Voup family at large, who often used the craft.

Although the boys, especially Joe and Harry, wished to follow up the Akers affair, they had to give the most of their attention to the aero meet. Endless details had to be arranged, and numerous conferences were held with the others who were about to participate. In the meantime the boys were gratified to see that Andrew Akers was steadily gaining in strength.

It was decided that the aero meet should be divided into two parts. The first was to be devoted to various contests within the big field of the Corsen estate, and the second to a long-distance flight between the two monoplanes, and another similar flight between the two biplanes. The contests on the grounds were to consist of “bomb” dropping, toy-balloon catching, landing at a given spot, and also circling and figure-of-eight making. The boys also wanted to try for altitude, but their parents would not agree to this and it had to be dismissed.

Anxiously did the lads watch the weather bulletins, and all were glad when fair weather was predicted for the all-important day. The grounds were put in the best possible shape, and the grandstand erected by Mr. Darrow and his workmen was gayly decorated with flags and banners. To add to the festivities of the occasion a band was hired by Mr. Corsen to play during the meet, and some young ladies, including Laura Westmore and Violet Corsen, opened a stand for ice-cream, cake, and lemonade, the proceeds to go to charity. Then the railroad and the steamboat line took up the affair, and each announced “Special Excursions to the Aero Meet.”

“Well, it sure is going to be a big thing!” cried Bart, when he heard of this.

“I am going to be a barker for the show!” cried Matt, and climbed upon a box that was handy. “This way, ladies and gentlemen! The grandest and most superb exhibition of flying in the world! The ever-famous Westmore brothers, in their death-defying swoop through the clouds! The Prince of the Clouds, Fred Rush! The Marvel of the Biplane, Signor Linobus Darrowsky! And the--wow!” And Matt’s oration came to a sudden ending, as Joe pulled the box from under him and sent him sprawling on the grass.

Many of the boys of Lakeport were anxious to take part in the meet, and they were all set to work,--some to sell tickets, others to take them,--at the gates and the grandstand,--and still others to guard the fences, so that nobody might get in without paying. Some lads from Brookside and Bralham and Haverford also shared in this work. The only lads who seemed to be left in the cold were Si and Ike, and this pair had nothing to say. Their participation in the carrying off of Andrew Akers hung over them like a nightmare.

“If I ever get out of this scrape I’ll never get into another,” said Ike, mournfully.

“I’d like to know what the Westmores and the others are doing,” returned Si. “This waiting is getting on my nerves. Every day I’m afraid that I am going to be arrested.”

“I guess we were big fools for doing what we did,” mused Ike.

“We sure were, Ike.”