"But----"

"Hey, mister!" yelled a small boy. "Hey! Yer back seat's fallin' off!"

"What did he say?" muttered Hawkins, too full of importance to turn his
head.

"Hey! Hey!" cried the youngster, pursuing us. "Dat back seat's most fell
off!"

"What!" shrieked Hawkins, whirling about. "Good Lord! So it is! Catch
it, Griggs, catch it quick!"

I turned. The boy was right. The rear seats of the automobile had managed
to detach themselves.

In fact, even as we stared, they were hanging by a single bolt, and the
head of that was missing.

"Griggs! Griggs!" shouted Hawkins, wildly endeavoring to stop the engine.
"Grab those seats before they fall! I didn't screw 'em on with a wrench--
only used my hands--but I supposed they were fast. Heavens! If they drop,
we shall go----"

Just at that moment a sudden jolt sent the seats into the road.

Two hundred pounds of solid material had left the Hawkins Auto-aero-mobile!

Hawkins didn't have to finish the sentence.