“And we don’t run into any more storms,” Rogers added. They had arranged for an early breakfast and it was only a few minutes after five o’clock when they again took the air. The sky was overcast with heavy clouds and there was every prospect that it would rain before the day was much older. And the promise was fulfilled, for within an hour it was raining hard. But inside the cockpit all was cozy and, as there was little or no wind, they did not mind the bad weather. “Better hit her up pretty lively if you expect to make the coast to-day,” Gordon advised. “We’re doing a hundred and fifty,” Bill told him. “Do you really mean it?” Rogers asked. “Hundred and fifty-two to be exact.” “It doesn’t seem possible we are going that fast,” Rogers declared. “That’s because the old bird runs with so little fuss,” Gordon told him. “She doesn’t make much fuss about it and that’s a fact,” Rogers agreed. “Hark.” “What is it?” Bill demanded. “Plane coming,” Gordon told him. “I hear it now,” Bill agreed. “And, believe me, it’s doing some hiking,” Rogers added a moment later. “I see it,” Gordon, who was using the glass, declared. “It’s coming straight for us.” “Well, thank goodness there’s plenty of room to turn out,” Bill laughed. “Mail plane,” Gordon announced a moment later. “Doesn’t look as though he saw us at all,” Bill declared giving the wheel a slight turn. “He doesn’t hear us, that’s one safe bet,” Rogers said. A moment later and the big mail plane rushed by them at a distance of only a few rods and they could not help laughing at the expression on the pilot’s face as he caught sight of them, apparently for the first time, when they were directly opposite. “Bet he goes in with a tale of a ghost plane,” Bill chuckled. “Wouldn’t wonder,” Rogers laughed. “He certainly looked as though he was seeing things,” Gordon added. “I suppose twenty years from now planes will be so thick that we’ll have to have traffic laws same as we do now for automobiles,” Rogers declared as he watched the plane disappearing in the distance. “But we’ll always have plenty of different levels,” Bill said, “and that will help.” “It sure will,” Gordon agreed. “I think I can see the ocean.” It was a little past six o’clock when Rogers made the statement. Gordon had been driving since shortly after noon and Bill was more than half asleep in his seat. The weather had cleared shortly after twelve o’clock and they had all enjoyed immensely the flight over the lofty peaks of the Rockies. The motor had run perfectly and nothing had happened all day to mar the pleasure of the trip and they were all in high spirits. “Going to land in the big city?” Gordon asked a few minutes later when they were sure that they were nearly to the coast. “I think Stockton will be better,” Bill told him. “It’s only a short distance from the coast and it isn’t so large.” “Then we ought to be sighting it most any minute now.”