"Who?"
"Mr. Ralph Parker."
"That gloomy scientist, who is always predicting such terrible things going to happen?"
"That's the gentleman. You met him once, I believe. Mr. Damon says Mr. Parker wants to do some scientific studying in the far north, so I've already counted on him as one of our party. Well, perhaps he won't do so much predicting this trip."
A little later Tom and Ned came to a big open field. They saw quite a crowd gathered in it, but no sign of an airship.
"Guess Andy hasn't arrived," spoke Tom.
"No; very likely he's found out that something is wrong with his machine, and he isn't going to risk it."
But, almost as Ned spoke, there sounded cries of excitement from the crowd, and, a little later, something big and white, with many wing-shaped stretches of canvas sticking out from all sides, was seen turning into the big meadow from the broad highway that led to Andy's house.
"There she is!" cried Ned.
"There's something, at any rate," conceded Tom, as he hastened his steps. "It's a queer-looking aeroplane, though. My! he's got enough wings to it!"
