The aeroplane shot downward, like a bird darting from the sky. Tom
grasped the rudder lever more firmly. He looked below him, and then,
suddenly he uttered a cry of terror.

"What is it?" yelled Ned.

"The rudder! The deflecting rudder! It's jammed, and I can't throw
her head up! We're going to smash into the ground, Ned! I can't
control her! Something has gone wrong!"




CHAPTER V

NEWS FROM AFRICA


Blankly, and with fear in his eyes, Ned gazed at Tom. The young
inventor was frantically working at the levers, trying to loosen the
jammed rudder--the rudder that enabled the sky racer to be tilted
upward.

"Can't you do it?" cried Ned.

Tom shook his head helplessly, but he did not give up. Madly he
worked on, and there was need of haste, for every moment the
aeroplane was shooting nearer and nearer to the earth.