treasure hunt. He was a friend of my sister's husband and as full of
ideas as a bird dog of fleas. But he didn't have no money to carry out
his inventions and as I had a pocketful I couldn't exactly figure how
to use, I agreed to back him in his wireless dirigible. We tried her
out several times ashore and then shipped her to Floridy, meaning to
try to fly to Cuba. But day afore yesterday while we was up on a trial
flight the wind got up in a hurry and at the same moment something
busted on the engine and, before we knew where we was, we was out at
sea."

"You must have been scared to death," put in Professor Sandburr who
was an interested listener.

"Not at first we wasn't. Poor Melville in fact seemed to think it was
a fine chance to test his ship. He managed to tinker up the engine
after working all night and part of yesterday on it and as we had
plenty to eat and drink on board--for we had stocked the boat up
preparatory to flying to Cuba--we didn't worry much.

"Howsomever, early this morning, after we'd had the engine going all
night we found we was still in the same position and for a mighty good
reason--one of the blades of the propeller had snapped off and there
we were,--practically just where we'd been the night before and with
no chance doing anything but drift about and wait for help. Melville
never lost his nerve though.

"'We'll be all right, Ben,' says he to me, and though I didn't feel
near so confident, still I chirped up a little for I had been feeling
pretty blue, I tell you.