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[Illustration: Young Dill had seized Jupe by the back of the neck and
dragged him, half drowned, to the shore.--_Page 98_]




                          THE BOY INVENTORS’
                               ELECTRIC
                            HYDROAEROPLANE

                                  BY

                            RICHARD BONNER

       AUTHOR OF “THE BOY INVENTORS’ WIRELESS TRIUMPH,” “THE BOY
         INVENTORS AND THE VANISHING GUN,” “THE BOY INVENTORS’
               DIVING TORPEDO BOAT,” “THE BOY INVENTORS’
                       FLYING SHIP,” ETC., ETC.

                        _WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY_
                          _CHARLES L. WRENN_

                               NEW YORK
                            HURST & COMPANY
                              PUBLISHERS


                           Copyright, 1914,
                                  BY
                            HURST & COMPANY




CONTENTS


  CHAPTER                                                           PAGE

  I. A NEW FRIEND MADE                                                 5

  II. AN INVENTION DESCRIBED                                          15

  III. AN IMPORTANT DECISION                                          23

  IV. NED TO THE RESCUE                                               33

  V. THE UNLUCKY STORY                                                43

  VI. HIS ENEMIES ON THE TRAIL                                        54

  VII. NED MAKES AN ENEMY                                             62

  VIII. THE PLANS ACCEPTED                                            71

  IX. THE ARRIVAL OF TROUBLE                                          82

  X. HEINY PUMPERNICK DILL                                            91

  XI. THE CONVERTIBLE SAUSAGE MACHINE                                 98

  XII. HANK AND MILES MEET THEIR MATCH                               106

  XIII. READY FOR FLIGHT                                             113

  XIV. HEINY OVERHEARS THE PLOT                                      124

  XV. THE BURGLAR TRAP                                               132

  XVI. THE LOST LEVER                                                150

  XVII. OFF AT LAST!                                                 161

  XVIII. NED’S TERRIBLE PERIL                                        169

  XIX. THE DISGRUNTLED CRONIES                                       179

  XX. TOM TO THE RESCUE                                              187

  XXI. SALUTING A STEAMER                                            194

  XXII. AN OLD FRIEND                                                202

  XXIII. THE LOST PLANS                                              211

  XXIV. A BAFFLING ROBBERY                                           220

  XXV. OFF TO THE FAIR                                               227

  XXVI. AN UNLUCKY MISHAP                                            237

  XXVII. A DASH FOR LIBERTY                                          248

  XXVIII. A DIRIGIBLE IN DANGER                                      258

  XXIX. A DARING RESCUE                                              269

  XXX. A STRANGE MEETING                                             277

  XXXI. NED COMES INTO HIS OWN                                       283




The Boy Inventors’ Electric Hydroaeroplane.




CHAPTER I.

A NEW FRIEND MADE.


“Are either Mr. Chadwick or Mr. Jesson about?”

“Humph!” and the gangling, rather disagreeable-looking youth who had
answered the summons to the door of the Boy Inventors’ workshop, gave a
supercilious look over the dusty and worn, although carefully mended,
clothes of the dark-eyed, dark-haired, slender youth who confronted him.

“What do you want to know that for, anyhow?” and upon the personal
pronoun he placed a contemptuous emphasis.

“That is a question to which I can only reply when I can see either
Jack Chadwick or Tom Jesson personally. My name is Ned Nevins,--not
that either of them knows me,--but will you be so kind as to find out
if they’ll see me?”

“If you can’t tell me your business, you can’t see them. State what you
want to me. If it’s money----”

“It is not!”

The dark-eyed young visitor’s eyes held a warning flash which the other
lad, who was half a head taller and far stouter of build than Ned
Nevins, affected not to notice.

“Well, you can’t speak to them.” This with an air of finality.

“But you don’t understand----”

“I do, perfectly. They are both far too busy to bother with any
inquisitive kind of tramp that happens along.”

“Then you won’t let them know I would like to see them?”

The other’s voice rose angrily