“The steering lever--the one that operates the elevation and depression planes--it’s gone--it’s been taken off!”
“Yes. It’s quite complicated, and a very necessary part of the ship. Some one has removed it.”
“Then it was Hoswell or Noddy,” declared Jerry.
“Hoswell, more likely. Young Nixon wouldn’t know how to take it off. It’s the lever Hoswell gave me an idea for, and for which I paid him well.”
“And now he’s taken it for revenge!” exclaimed Ned. “What’s to be done? We must make a new one at once.”
“Easier said than done,” replied Mr. Glassford. “That lever is quite a complicated piece of work, and it will take at least three days to construct a new one and get it in place.”
“That will be too late for us to start in the great race,” said Jerry solemnly. “Isn’t there any other plan?”
“It doesn’t look so,” replied Mr. Glassford. “The ship will not steer well without the use of the elevation rudder, and I can’t work that without the lever which Hoswell has stolen.”
“Maybe we could find him and make him give it up,” suggested Jerry. “If we could we might be able to get the ship ready in time.”
“And if we don’t, we can’t,” was Mr. Glassford’s rather dubious answer.
“Why don’t you try the railroad stations?” suggested the lawyer. “Most likely he’ll try to get out of town as soon as possible. Could he carry this lever with him?”
“He could, but it’s quite large, and I don’t believe they’d let him take it into a passenger coach with him.”
“Then he’d have to send it by express,” went on the lawyer. “Make a tour of the express offices. Very little express goes out before night, and perhaps you can secure the lever. If you can locate it I will arrange the necessary legal papers to enable you to take possession of it.”
“That’s a good idea,” declared Mr. Glassford. “Boys, we must make a tour of the express offices. Start at once. We have very little time left. If we don’t find that lever we can’t race.”
“Then we’ll find it!” exclaimed Jerry confidently.
But that night, after a wearying round of the different offices, the boys had to admit that they were nearly beaten. There was no record of the lever having been shipped, nor could they find any trace of Hoswell. There were a number of express offices in Park Haven, but the answer was the same at each one. Nothing like a lever had been received for shipment.