The morning finds our friends rising bright and early. Walt is able to replace the missing tiles without much trouble, while Kerry replaces the spring on the indicator, and Daniel goes to the stream to get the water to mix with the concentrated fuel.
Some of the miners, hearing the noise of Walt’s workmanship, peek curiously from behind the trees to watch for a moment as they make their way to the "diggin's". The ones at the stream watch with great surprise as Daniel, having filled the wide-mouthed jar with water, reaches in, takes out the few gold nuggets which have managed to enter the jar and hands them to some delighted miners.
They succeed in contacting home base again and report everything to Mark, who has a big laugh over the fight and the preacher and the whole thing.
Walt and Daniel set the dials and Kerry throws the switches, and once again the cylinder is airborne to the amazement of passing miners on the ground who stare in awe as the cylinder revolves in mid-air for a minute and then disappears.
"We’re off again! Isn’t it great?"
"Yeah! I wonder where we’ll land next."
"You mean 'when' don’t you?"
************
Our friends have little time to wonder. Soon the cylinder is again making its way gradually toward terra firma. They land in a clump of trees which hides a wide dirt road. Opening the window, they can hear the chirping of the birds and the sound of a brook babbling nearby. "At least we won’t have to worry about the water for the fuel," observes Daniel.
The indicator, now functioning, tells them that they have arrived at the year 1775 in the early American colony of Philadelphia.
"Philadelphia? Isn’t that part of Pennsylvania?”
“As far as I remember.”
“We must have set the directional dial wrong."
"We’ll have to try to overcompensate next time."
"And 1775! We went back only 74 years! Why?"
"Maybe something broke or something."
"Well, let’s cheek and see, shall we!"
But, Walt’s fascination with this period of history was getting the best of him. "Why don’t you two check while I go and have a look around?"
"Well, O.K., Walt, but, be careful."
Kerry goes to the communicator and unplugs the microphone, which also works on remote. "Better take this with you," he urges, handing it to Walt. "We won’t be able to contact home base but it's preferable to keep in touch with each other."
Slipping the mike inside his jacket, Walt walks cautiously out to the edge of the small forest which hides their craft from view. He reaches the edge, where he can see the road through the trees, and notices the imposing Independence Hall building in the distance, behind another clump of trees. “Wow!” he thinks to himself, “It’s just like on the postcard Aunt Susie sent when she toured the historical section of this city. But, that’s the real thing over there. Boy, I’d like to get a closer look.” But, suddenly, his thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps and voices. Peering out, he can see three men approaching in the distance. Listening carefully, he is able to make out the conversation:
"Wasn't that great though, what Franklin said yesterday? I mean that business about the sun being a rising sun!"
"Indeed! Franklin’s a real optimist, isn’t he?"
"I sure hope he’s right."
"Well, gentlemen, we can certainly trust in a higher source than Franklin. Why don’t you try praying to The Almighty and trusting in Him as does Washington?"
"Washington? He’s too old-fashioned. I’m a Deist like Franklin. I believe there’s a God, sure. He created this world, sure. But, ever since, He’s just been sitting back and leaving everything up to us. Why, He’s too busy with things up there to be concerned about things down here."
”And, where do you find that in the Bible?"
By now, the footsteps and voices have reached the tree behind which Walt crouches. Now they pass it. Curious to hear more of the conversation, Walt steps out stealthily onto the dusty road and creeps up quietly behind the three men. Being deeply involved in their conversation, they fail to notice him for the moment.
"Everyone knows," continues one man, "that the Bible was just written by men."
"I’m sorry to disagree, but it’s the only book which claims to be the Word of God."
"A claim easily enough made."
"Gentlemen, gentlemen!" urges the other man, "Let’s not argue! I mean, after all, we’re all striving for the same thing, aren’t we? And we all agree, at least, that if everything goes as planned, we’ve got a brilliant future ahead of us. Right? Isn’t that what Franklin meant by the rising sun?!"
At this point, a fallen twig breaks under Walt’s foot and one of the men turns and sees Walt following them. Trying to appear as natural as possible, Walt takes long strides in order to join himself to the three as quickly as possible. He also begins talking quickly, hoping thus to divert attention away from his strange attire. "Gentlemen, forgive me, but I happened to be going this way, and I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation. What you say is very interesting. It’s certainly good to be optimistic but, have you considered the possibility that there could be problems with the new government as well--I mean, the chance that things won’t always be as great as you are expecting?"
"No, of course not!" replies the man who was talking just before Walt. "That’s one thing we all agree on--that with the new constitution and the institution of a democratic form of government, the future will be wonderful. Why, what could possibly go wrong?"
"Well, civil war for one thing," ventures Walt.
"Civil war? Are you crazy?--In a country with such a birth of freedom as ours will have? It could never happen!"
"But it will happen--and more--riots, looting, crime and world wars"
"Hey! Who are you anyway? Where do you come from?"
Suddenly Walt is frightened and unsure of himself. "From a long way from here," he answers haltingly.
"That’s obvious," observes one man, turning to the others. "Just look at his clothes!"
Walt decides that it may be best to tell the truth, even if they won’t believe it. "I come from a long way from here both in space and time -- mainly in time. I come from your future. That’s how I know what’s going to happen."
"That’s ridiculous!"
"It certainly is! He’s obviously a hired spy sent by the British to beat down our moral while he finds out our secrets."
"But, we’ve got him now!”
They start to reach for Walt, who breaks into a run.
"After him!"
"Don’t let him get away!" And the chase is on!
************
Meanwhile, back at the ship, the other two time travelers have managed to complete all the necessary repairs, obtain the water from the brook, and mix the fuel. They are ready for take-off.
"I wonder how Walt is doing," muses Kerry.
"He’s probably having a good time, seeing the town while we work, th’ rascal!"
Just then, Walt’s voice comes over the communicator. "Help! I’m being chased! Get ready to start the engine for a quick getaway!"
Walt is still running on the road with his pursuers not far Behind. They almost capture him. But a fleet deer suddenly darts out of the forest and runs right between them and Walt, almost knocking them down. This gives Walt the advantage he needs to outrun them and reach the place where he had emerged from the forest.
"O.K.," he calls over the microphone, which he clenches tightly in his right hand, "Start 'er up. I’m coming."
The three men start to follow Walt into the forest but are surprised by the sudden burst of light and the noise made by the ship's engines.
"What was that?"
"I don’t know. Strange indeed! But let's not lose sight of him!"
Walt ducks behind the tree which hides the craft and then into the waiting open door. The ship takes off. The three men follow.
"Where did he go?"
"I saw him go this way."
"What happened? How could he just disappear like that?"
"Look! Up there in the sky!"
"What?"
"Don’t you see it? Looks like some kind of strange craft."
"You mean that over there?"
"Where?"
"There--Over there! Well, I’ll be—it’s disappeared too!"
"Yes, I think I saw it too, for only a second."
"Do you think--? I mean, could he have been telling the truth?"
"Or, are we crazy, or what?"
"Listen, let's not say a word of this to anyone, eh?"
"Of course not! They’d think we were crazy for sure."
************
And, inside the ship:
"Wow! That was close!"
"What happened?"
"They thought I was a British spy."
"Oh my goodness!"
"Interesting! And what did you learn? Anything interesting?"
"Well, before they noticed me, they were arguing about God and the Bible--well, mainly about whether or not God is in control of the universe. One fellow was for Washington and said that God is in control and so we should pray to Him and trust in Him. Another was for Franklin. He said--"
"That God created the world and then went off and left it. I remember that from my U.S. history."
"Well, that’s pretty much what we believe, I guess, if you really think about it. I mean, if God were really in control, He wouldn't need our help, now would He?"
"On the other hand, if He really were in control, there wouldn’t be all of the sickness and evil in the world in the first place. Then He wouldn’t need our help for sure."
"Enough philosophy, Fellows! Any guesses as to where we’ll land next?"
"You mean ‘When’, don’t you?"
"Of course! ‘When’!"