"An' I'll JUMP back to de ground; dat's what I'll do. I ain't goin'
t' wait until I falls, no sah! An' I ain't gwine t' do none ob dat
ball-playin' yo' speak ob, Massa Swift. It's no time t' play ball
when yo' life am in danger. I'se gwine t' jump."

"Sit still!" cried Tom, for the colored man was about to spring from
his seat. "There's no danger! I didn't say anything about playing
ball. I said I'd VOL-PLANE back to the earth. We'll be there
shortly. I'll take you down safe. Sit still, Rad!"

He spoke so earnestly that the fears of his colored passenger were
quelled. With a quick motion Tom threw up the head planes, to check
the downward sweep. The Butterfly shot forward on a gradual slant.
Repeating this maneuver several times, the young inventor finally
brought his machine to within a short distance of the earth, and,
also, considerably nearer his own home.

"I wonder if we can make it?" he murmured, measuring the distance
with his eye. "I think so. I'll shoot her up a bit and then let her
down on a long slant. Then, with another upward tilt, I ought to
fetch it."

The monoplane tilted upward. Eradicate gave a cry of terror. It was
stilled at a look from Tom. Once more the air machine glided
forward. Then came another long dip, another upward glide and the
Butterfly came gently to earth almost on the very spot whence it had
flown upward a few minutes before.

Eradicate gave one mad spring from his seat, almost before the
bicycle wheels had ceased revolving, as Tom jammed on the earth-