Around the World in Ten DaysFraser, Chelsea Curtis
General
Around the World in Ten Days
Fraser, Chelsea Curtis
Air pilots -- Juvenile fiction; Voyages around the world -- Juvenile fiction
John and Tom now resumed their hammocks and broken sleep, for they saw
that, although the shattered tail elevator caused the Sky-Bird to ride
roughly and at reduced speed. Bob and Paul could probably handle her
all right from now on. The cross winds of the monsoon also hindered
their progress a good deal, blowing erratically from different
directions, but they plugged along at a pace slow enough to keep
themselves within the zone of safety.
A little later they came in sight of Sumatra, but as they were going
fairly well, thought it best not to attempt a landing for repairs. So
they crossed the northern tip of the island, and proceeded on over the
Strait of Malacca. Sometime since, Paul had taken Bob's place at the
throttle, and the latter had communicated with their destination by
wireless, learning that the other airplane had arrived.
It was twilight when they at last reached Singapore, and made a landing
in the race-course in the outskirts of the town. By long odds this was
the smallest island upon which they had so far stopped, but they found
the city one of the busiest. Their rivals had left fully two hours
before.
Now came the task of repairing the broken tail elevator. As the frame
was undamaged, it was only necessary to straighten out a few bent
supports and put new covering on. The British official at the field
showed them where to purchase the necessary silk and glue, also a good
waterproof varnish for coating the covering. From his own home he
secured a pair of scissors with which to do the cutting, and John and
Bob worked at the task, while Paul and Tom took on fuel and water and
looked after other preparations for resuming their journey as soon as
possible.
During this process, Grandpa the monkey was permitted to come out of
the cabin and entertain the crowd of onlookers with his antics, which
he did to perfection, as he had done at other stops. To the ivory ring
about his slender little waist, Paul always fastened a long thin rope,
which he had bought in Para, when he let Grandpa out. This leash
prevented him from wandering off, something nearly all unfettered
monkeys will do if not watched very closely by their masters. Almost
any place seems to be home to a monkey, and almost any man seems to
suit him for a temporary master.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account