All this time they had been busy packing away Rogers’ stuff and, as soon as the task was accomplished, they were ready for the start. As there was no particular hurry they had decided not to attempt a non-stop flight but to land as soon as it began to get dark and spend the night at a hotel. “We ought to get pretty near out to Chicago before dark,” Gordon declared as he got to his seat beside Bill. “Easy,” Bill told him. It was a perfect day as they rose in the air. There was a bit of light breeze and even that was in their favor and everything seemed auspicious. “How quiet it is,” Rogers said as Bill started the forward propeller. “I suppose you miss the noise of the engine,” Gordon said. “I sure do, but it’s a happy miss,” Rogers laughed. Bill climbed rapidly until they reached an altitude of a little over a thousand feet and then leveled the plane and increased the speed until they were making a hundred and fifty miles an hour and for some time kept it there. “There’s Lake Erie,” Gordon announced about one o’clock, “and I move we eat.” “Looks to me like a shower coming this way,” Bill said an hour later. “I’ve been watching that cloud for some time,” Rogers said, “and I think we’re going to hit it.” “Looks like it,” Bill agreed, “unless we can go over it.” “How about landing till it passes?” Gordon asked. “I had one experience in a thunder storm and don’t exactly hanker for another.” “Just as you say,” Bill told him. “But it looks rather low to me and I believe we could go over it without any trouble. What do you say?” he asked turning to Rogers. “There’s no use in taking chances,” replied the older man. “But if you think there’s no danger, go ahead as far as I’m concerned.” “I really believe it’s as safe as it would be to land,” Bill declared. “That storm is going to be a pretty good one and it might wreck the plane even on the ground. If you two are willing I’d like to try it.” “Go to it,” Gordon declared and Rogers nodded his head in agreement. So Bill gave the stick a sharp pull and the Albatross turned her nose upward. Up crept the needle of the altimeter until it registered ten thousand feet and still the dark clouds seemed just ahead of them. Then suddenly a thick mist enveloped them and they knew they had entered the cloud. For some time they had heard the distant mumbling of thunder and seen flashes which told them that the storm was rushing toward them. And now the wind was rapidly increasing in strength and coming directly against them. “Think we’ll make it?” Gordon asked, and there was more than a suspicion of anxiety in his voice. “I think we’re above the center of it,” Bill answered as he glanced over the side of the cockpit. “Still going up?” Rogers asked. “Yep, still going up,” Bill told him.