“I never saw a better flight,” added Joe. “I thought for a while it was going to soar right over the woods.” “I wish it had,” murmured Teddy. “Then it wouldn’t be down in the gully.” “Are you sure it’s there?” asked Joe. “Can’t tell,” Teddy replied. “We’ll have to scout around and look. Say,” he went on as the three boys were fairly within the woods, “this is going to be pretty tough going. I shouldn’t make you fellows scramble through this underbrush with me to search for my lost plane.” “Forget it!” advised Joe. “That’s what we’re here for,” declared Dick. The woods adjoining Mason’s meadow, owned by the same man, were dense and dark. Tall pines and other evergreen trees made the forest dark on even a bright, sunny17 day. The woods were not on level ground, as was the grassy plain. Part of the patch where the trees and brush grew was level enough. But beyond that area the woods sloped down quite a hill and a section of the woodlot lay in a deep ravine or gully. 17 “It’s a good distance down there and a good distance back,” remarked Teddy as he and his chums reached the edge of the ravine and looked into it as far as their sight could penetrate through the gloom. “We can make it,” declared Joe. “I’ve often gone down steeper places than this when I was out scouting.” “It isn’t going down that counts,” said Dick with a sigh. “It’s the climb up that’s hard work.” “It’ll work off some of your fat!” chuckled Joe, taking care to be beyond the range of Dick’s fists. “Oh, is that so?” snapped the stout lad. “Well, I’ll show you two I’m as good a gully18 climber as either of you. But are you sure your plane came in here, Teddy?” 18 “Quite sure, yes. I marked it by that lightning-struck oak tree on the edge of the wood. The plane went in right there.” “Do you think it could go far, with all these trees to dodge?” Dick asked. “I mean wouldn’t it crack-up against one of ’em?” “It might,” Teddy agreed. “But if my good luck holds, it might just buzz in and out among the trees. Then it would come down in the
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