The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service; Or, The Capture in the Air — Edition Insights

Aerial Rivalry and Machine Worship

The excerpts devote considerable space to the performance of aeroplanes. When a strange machine appears, Carl Nichols begs to take out the Ann and “run ’em both down.” Mr. Havens, though uneasy about staying alone, consents because “the sporting strain was strong in the man’s blood” and he wants the Ann to win. The machines are personified: the Ann is “built for a record-breaker,” while the Louise is criticized for not making “much of a show.” The Englishman DuBois, initially frightened, gains confidence by trusting the boy’s skill. This focus on mechanical prowess and competitive flight overshadows the ostensible secret-service mission.

The Landscape as Obstacle and Spectacle

The setting is not merely background but an active element. The basin lies “in the heart of the Rocky mountains,” with a slope leading to a summit and snowy peaks of the Continental Divide visible thirty miles away. During the race, the strange machine climbs “up, up, up until the summit showed white and sparkling under her flying planes.” Carl sees the Louise following into the snow zone and questions the tactic, thinking altitude wasted. The Englishman, unable to speak over the noise, communicates through gestures, sweeping his arm to include “the shining stars, the drifting clouds, the wide stretch of mountain and valley.” The landscape is both a challenge to be mastered and a source of awe.

Voice and Period Detail

The dialogue and narration carry a distinctly 1913 tone. Characters exclaim “don’t you know!” and use phrases like “tolerably well frightened.” The boys address Mr. Havens as “sir” and speak with bravado: “The Ann can run around both those old ice wagons.” The author, Frank Walton, also wrote other series entries set in Mexico and the wilds, and this installment references previous adventures in Peru. The catalog subjects include “mystery and detective stories,” but the excerpts show little detection; instead, the plot moves through physical action—falls, races, and mechanical feats—typical of early aviation adventure series.

Readers should approach The Flying Machine Boys on Secret Service as a period piece that values speed and machinery over plot logic. The catalog subjects hint at kidnapping and smuggling, but the excerpts suggest these elements may be secondary to the thrill of flight. Pay attention to how the boys’ competence and the machines’ capabilities drive the narrative, and note the contrast between the stated mission and the actual scenes of aerial competition.

Reading about the Flying Machine Boys circling the Rockies, I remembered the summer I spent sprawled on my grandmother’s porch, finishing Motor Matt’s Race—the ache of a last flight, the quiet pride in a machine you’ve coaxed skyward. That same tension, risk against duty, lingered here. Motor Matt's Race; or, The Last Flight of the Comet — A Reader’s Guide stirred something similar before, though I can’t recall why. Maybe it’s the clouds themselves.