Indeed it appeared as if the damage was not so great as they had at
first imagined. After tearing off some shingles the grapple had caught
in a beam and was prevented from doing further harm.

"Yes, yew'll pay, and yew'll go ter jail tew," declared the farmer.
"Consarn it all, what's the country comin' tew? Las' week tew pesky
dod-ratted balloonists hit Hi Holler on ther head with a bag of sand,
and now yew come along in thet thar contraption and try to bust up my
dryin' roof. I'll have ther law on yer."

Matters began to look serious. Jack had no doubt but what the farmer
would accept a money payment for the damaged roof. But it appeared
that the old fellow was bent on more stringent vengeance.

In the meantime Tom had been busy in the stern of the craft and had
succeeded in getting the grapnel loose from the beam into which its
sharp points had dug. It was not till that moment that the farmer
observed him.

He leveled his shotgun at the balloon of the Wondership.

"Don't yew dare ter move er I'll bust a hole right plumb through that
ther airbag of yourn," he said.

"Can't you be reasonable?" asked Jack. "Here's my name." He wrote his
name and address on a slip of paper and threw it down.

But the irate farmer paid no attention to the missive. He kept his gun
steadily trained on the Wondership.