CONTENTS.ChapterI. The Eagle and the BuzzardII. Billy's Strange TaleIII. A Trial FlightIV. Eben Joyce AppearsV. A Strange StoryVI. The Golden GalleonVII. A Fire Alarm By AeroplaneVIII. Nearly Out of the RaceIX. The Grasshopper's MishapX. The Aero RaceXI. Lost in the FogXII. Billy Hears an Interesting ConversationXIII. Luther Barr's TrapXIV. Mr. "L. B.'s" DirigibleXV. Off for the SargassoXVI. In Dire PerilXVII. Billy's Narrow EscapeXVIII. Into the SargassoXIX. The Rat ShipXX. The Golden GalleonXXI. Dirigible vs. AeroplaneXXII. On Board Barr's ShipXXIII. Prisoners in Dire PerilXXIV. The Inventor's TreacheryXXV. The Fight on the IslandXXVI. The Boys Win OutCHAPTER I.THE EAGLE AND THE BUZZARD."Hurrah!"The shout went upward in a swelling volume of sound as a thousandvoices took up the cry."Say, those boys can fly!""I should say so.""Did you see that swoop!""Did I? I thought they were goners sure.""They handle that sky-clipper like a bicycle."These admiring exclamations came in a perfect hailstorm as the bigbiplane air-craft, which had called them forth, swept earthward,bearing her two young occupants downward in a long graceful glide, andlanding them at the door of their red aerodrome with the precision ofan automobile being driven up to its owner's front steps.The drone of the engine ceased and little spurts of dust shot up fromthe landing wheels as the young aviator at the helm of the beautifulcraft applied his brakes, threw out the spark and cut off the engine.The plane ran about one hundred feet on its wheels and then came to astandstill."Hurrah for the Golden Eagle!" shouted a voice. The enthusiasm wasechoed all over the crowded field. From the long rows of autos, parkedat the edge of the field and crowded with applauding men and women,came the "honk! honk!" of horns in a deafening clamor.Smilingly making their way through the enthusiasts who swept down onthem, Frank and Harry Chester, the Boy Aviators, who had justconcluded a tuning up flight for the Hempstead Plains Cup--the contestfor which was to take place in a week's time--entered the shed and,making their way to a screened-off room in the corner, shed theirleather coats and woolen caps and removed the grime from their handsand faces. Their mechanics, in the meantime, had shoved the Eagle intothe shed and closed the doors on the horde of the inquisitive.The boys' flight had taken place above the aviation grounds of theAeronautic Society, situated at Mineola, on Long Island, a few milesoutside New York city. For several days they, and several others whohad announced their intention of competing for the coveted HempsteadPlains Cup, had been making flights that had attracted vast crowdsfrom the metropolis and filled the papers with air-ship news. The citywas aviation mad.