So the young men were very much excited and eager to be off this morning of the 16th, you may be sure.  The Sky-Bird was tuned up a little to make certain she was in first-class condition, then they all climbed in and the big glistening creature of wood, metal, and silk shot up into the air.  It would probably be close to three weeks before they would see that familiar field and hangar again, and in that time if all went well they would circle the huge globe upon which they and their fellow-men lived.  It was truly a most inspiring thought--one to have filled less phlegmatic blood than theirs with the wildest pulsations!