“I don’t know whether I can or not,” Gordon told him. “Only a few weeks ago I was a prosperous business man and now look at me,” and the Jap glanced down at the rags which covered his body. “It does seem as though you had had rather more than your share of trouble lately,” Rogers sympathized. “But we’re going to help you.” “You mean it?” “Certainly.” “After the way I acted?” “But we don’t blame you a bit for that,” Bill assured him and they all saw the big tears as they gathered in his eyes. “Now, it seems to me that the best plan is to take you back to Honolulu and report the affair to the proper authorities as soon as possible,” Rogers told them. “But——” “Will the plane carry all four of us?” Rogers interrupted, turning to Bill. “We’ve never had four in her but he’s not very heavy and I think we can do it. The only trouble will be in getting into the air. You see, there’s no place smooth enough to get a running start and we’ll have to depend on the elevator and——well, we can try it. If it’ll lift us it will.” “And if it won’t it won’t,” Gordon added. “In which case one of us will have to stay behind,” Rogers told them. “Let’s hope it won’t be necessary,” Gordon said. “Well, the sooner we find out the better,” Rogers declared as he got up from his box. “We’ll get back to camp and get dinner and then start.” “Perhaps and maybe,” Gordon added. “How about trying to make her lift us right now?” “It’s too rough around here,” Bill told him. “Then you and Steve take the plane back and we’ll walk and here’s betting we get there first,” Gordon proposed. He and the Jap started off at a fast run but the plane passed them before they had covered half the distance, and Bill had a fire going by the time they arrived. “Now for it,” Rogers said as they finished cleaning up after the meal. “Just a minute till I put in some new cells,” Bill called. “I reckon we’ll need all the power we can get.” It was a tight squeeze in the back seat for Rogers and the Jap but they managed it and Bill started the motor. Notch by notch he pushed over the lever and faster and faster the propeller whirled. “I’ve only got one more notch,” he told Gordon who was watching the instrument board. “And she hasn’t budged,” Gordon replied. “Well, give her the juice and let’s know the worst.” Bill pushed the lever over to the last notch but, although the plane gave a lurch, it failed to rise. “Nothing doing,” he said as he slowed the motor and finally brought it to a stop. “There’s just a few pounds too many in her,” he told them. “Which means that I’m going to stay behind,” Rogers said as he started to climb out. “Just a minute,” Gordon told him. Then, turning to Bill, he said: “If I get out and you get her off the ground and then start the other propeller, I believe I can jump on and she’ll go. What do you think?” “I think there’d be about one chance in a million,” Bill told him. “Make it two and let’s try it.”