avoid a collision as he neared the outbuildings by manipulating his
elevating planes.

The move was successful, or at least was so for a brief space of time.
The Grasshopper rose with convulsive leap, like that of a bucking
bronco. She shot into the air to a height of about twenty feet and
then suddenly, without the slightest warning, she gave a crazy swoop
down and caught in some trees, landing her unfortunate navigator full
and fair into a sty occupied by an old sow and her numerous progeny.

Such a chorus of squeals from the pigs and roars of fear and pain from
Schmidt went up that the crowd, among whom were the boys, feared at
first that several persons had been hurt instead of the luckless
aviator. All at once, as they neared the pen, the figure of Schmidt
appeared covered with mud and dirt--a sorry sight indeed.

He attempted to scramble over the fence surrounding the pen and had
just reached the top rail when the old sow, in whom fear at the sudden
appearance of the Grasshopper's owner had given way to wrath at his
invasion, suddenly charged at him. She caught him, just as he was
striving to maintain his balance, and the unlucky inventor for the
second time that day was hurled to the ground.

[Illustration: The Luckless Aviator and the Pig.]

"Are you hurt?" yelled the crowd.

"Am I hurt--aber I am dead, I dink!" shouted back the badly rumpled
Schmidt. "Ach himmel! der Grasshopper is a pig-pen-hopper, ain't it?"