"Hey! that's a hyderplane, mister, ain't it?" demanded one sharp-eyed
chap, after he had glimpsed the construction of the aluminum pontoons
that were just kept from contact with the ground by the bicycle wheels.
"Have you ever seen one before?" asked Andy, desirous of keeping up
friendly relations with the crowd, for he knew how important that might
prove, since, as yet, no man wearing a blue uniform had put in an
appearance; and should any hoodlum choose to play "rough house," or try
to be too familiar with the apparatus, there was always a chance that
some damage might be done.
"No, I ain't, but I seen a picture of that 'ere Coffyn feller, a-flyin'
down on the Hudson river nigh New York; and she looked a heap like this
here shebang," came the quick response.
"Well, you guessed right that time, for that is what it is called, a
hydroplane; because it can be navigated on the water as well as in the
air. And if you'll please stand back, so as not to bother with anything,
because the least handling may put the whole machine out of tune, I'll
be glad to tell you something about how we manage to use it as a boat."
Andy knew how to manage, and he exerted himself to entertain the crowd
while Frank was absent, keeping their interest aroused by little
stories of things that had happened to birdmen in recent times, and
which were of course well known to him, from the fact that both the
cousins kept in close touch with all that went on in the world of
aviation.
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