noon
Truth to tell , inwardly he had not expected the travelers back that night , and perhaps there lingered , too , in his mind , a faint desire to test out the other aeroplane in a task of rescue , in the event of the one Jimsy was driving breaking down . But when morning came without a sign of the missing monoplane speculation crystallized into a real and keen anxiety . It was determined to delay no longer but set out at once in search of it . To this end the recently equipped airship was stocked with food and water , and shortly before noon Roy finished the final tuning up of the engine . The others watched him anxiously as he worked . It seemed clear enough that some real accident must have occurred to the other machine . `` James would never keep us in suspense like this , '' said Mr. Bell , `` if he could reach us and relieve our anxiety . ''