I believe this, I've left it just as it was, and locked it up safely with a man to look after it. We'll examine it together later on, when you're fit to run over.'
Well, to cut a long story short, we did examine it about a week later. With Harry Theed, Teddy and Roseye, we made a very complete survey of every strainer, wing-flap hinge, nut-bolt, taper-pin, eye-bolt, in fact every part of the machine, save the engine—which was quite in order and practically undamaged.
For a whole day we worked away, failing to discover anything, but late in the afternoon I noticed one of the bolts missing, and called the attention of both my companions.
'By Jove!' exclaimed Teddy. 'Why, that's the weak spot where the plane must have buckled!' Then, bending closer to the hole in which the missing steel bolt should have been, he cried: 'Look! What do you make of this—eh, Claude?'
I bent eagerly to where he indicated, and there saw something which caused me to hold my breath.
In the hole where the steel bolt should have been was a plug of broken wood!
Wood! The truth became, in that instant, quite plain. The tested steel bolt, which was most important to secure the rigidity of the aeroplane, had been withdrawn, and in its socket a plug of wood had been placed by some dastardly and unknown enemy!
The Invisible Hand, of which I had spoken so many times, had very narrowly sent me to my death!
