Just then the factory whistle sounded out shrilly for quitting time.
Workmen appeared at the open windows of the factor. Some came
running out into the yard.

The word had gone around that the young aviators were bound on an
extraordinary cruise--a search for the stolen airship. A great
chorus of ringing hurrahs went up from the crowd.

"It's great, isn't it, Dave?" chuckled the delighted Hiram.

"The Monarch II acts prettily, that's sure," replied the young
aviator.

Dave delighted his companion by giving him charge of the barograph
readings and attention to some of the minor duties of aviation. The
rapid progress of the machine in mid air was exhilarating. The
weather conditions were ideal, and Dave had a definite goal in view.

There was not a break in the pleasant twilight journey. The Monarch
II fulfilled all expectations and promises. About nine o'clock in
the evening the record showed over two hundred miles accomplished,
when they descended on a level stretch of prairie near a small
bustling city. Here the gasoline supply in the tanks was
replenished. The basket had been stored with over a hundred gallons
of this in separate packages, without embarrassing the buoyancy of
the machine, as the young aviators were far below average operating
weight.

"This high living of ours makes and hungry," intimated Hiram, as