The open door behind Ned revealed three machines arranged along the
wall, and the boys rushed to the examination of them. In second all
were in the room, bending over their steel pets.
"Say!" Jimmie cried, presently, "we'll get Peking to-night--not! This
machine has been tampered with, and some parts are missing."
"Yes, I reckon the Yellow Peril is on deck!" said Frank.
CHAPTER II
A DISQUIETING DISCOVERY
The four boys regarded each other in silence for a moment. Jack was the
first to speak.
"How badly are the machines damaged?" he asked.
"Mine is all right," Jimmie reported, after a careful examination of his
steel steed, "except that a couple of burrs are missing."
"And mine," Frank hastened to say, "is all right except that the oil
feed is blocked and the electric battery is shut off--that is, it is so
arranged that the machine will spark for a short distance and then buck.
Great doings!"
"And yours, Jack?" asked Ned.
"Just a few burrs gone."
"And mine is o.k.," Ned went on, "except that the carburetor has been
tampered with. I think we'll get off for Peking before long."
"How?" demanded Jimmie. "We can't make burrs out of wood, or patch up
with rat pie, which seems to be about the only thing we have plenty of.
I don't suppose we can get repairs in this yellow hole."
Ned took a handbag from under the burlap. "I am carrying my own repair
shop with me," he said, taking out a box of burrs and a pair of pincers.
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