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<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[1]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<p class="pc4 xlarge">BANNER BOY SCOUTS<br />
IN THE AIR</p>

<hr class="d1" />

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[2]</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[3]</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[4]</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[5]</a></span></p>

<div class="bord1">
<div class="bord2">

<h1><span class="large">THE BANNER<br />
BOY SCOUTS<br />
IN THE AIR</span></h1>

<p class="pc2 elarge font1"><i>By</i></p>

<p class="pc2 elarge">GEORGE A. WARREN</p>

<p class="pc star">&#9734;</p>

<p class="pc4 mid">THE WORLD SYNDICATE<br />
PUBLISHING<span class="vh">&ndash;.</span>COMPANY<br />
<span class="small">CLEVELAND<span class="vh">.&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;&mdash;</span>NEW YORK</span></p>
</div></div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[6]</a></span></p>

<p class="pc4 reduct">
Copyright, 1937<br />
by<br />
The World Syndicate Publishing Co.</p>

<div class="figcenter">
     <img src="https://brian.carnell.com/wiki/_media/etext:g:george-warren-banner-boy-scouts-in-the-air-logo.jpg" width="200" height="258"
         alt=""
         title="" />
</div>

<p class="pc reduct"><i>Printed in the United States of America</i></p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[7]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CONTENTS</h2>

<table id="toc" summary="cont">

 <tr>
  <td colspan="2" class="tdl2"><span class="small">CHAPTER</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><span class="small">PAGE</span></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">I</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">At the Airport</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_9">9</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">II</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">The Meeting</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_17">17</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">III</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Bobolink is a Hero</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_23">23</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">IV</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Flying</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_28">28</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">V</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">The Reward</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">VI</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">What To Do with the Money</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_46">46</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">VII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Mystery</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_56">56</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">VIII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">The Mystery Becomes Complicated</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_65">65</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">IX</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Clues</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_75">75</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">X</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Flying Instructions</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_86">86</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XI</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Baseball Game</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_102">102</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">What Happened to Wallace</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_123">123</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XIII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">The Cave</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_134">134</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XIV</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Flying Solo</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_146">146</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XV</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">A Complicated Surprise</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_155">155</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XVI</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Swimming Contest</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_163">163</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XVII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Man Chained</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_177">177</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XVIII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">The Trap</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_193">193</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XIX</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">At the Cave Again</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_204">204</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XX</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Battle in the Sky</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_216">216</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XXI</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">Night Encounter</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></td>
 </tr>

 <tr>
  <td class="tdr1">XXII</td>
  <td class="tdl1"><span class="smcap">“The Cave”</span></td>
  <td class="tdr1"><a href="#Page_242">242</a></td>
 </tr>

</table>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[8]</a></span></p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[9]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<p class="pc4 xlarge">BANNER BOY SCOUTS<br />
IN THE AIR</p>

<hr class="d1" />

<h2>CHAPTER I</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">At the Airport</span></p>

<p>Paul and Jack were dashing along on their
bicycles through Main Street. It was a clear, beautiful
summer day. School was over and they
grasped the first opportunity to run over to the
airport about a mile outside of Stanhope and
which had only recently been completed.</p>

<p>The two boys wore their Scout uniforms and
they pedalled along swiftly. Several townspeople
paused to watch them pass by and wondered what
might be the cause of their haste. Paul stuck his
left hand out and they turned right into Oliver
Street, thus taking a short cut to the highway and
then to the aerodrome. When they arrived at their
objective, they dismounted and stood around, taking
everything in with their eyes.</p>

<p>The flying field was about a mile long and half a
mile wide and entirely cleared of trees, bushes or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[10]</a></span>
anything that might be an obstruction. To one side
were a group of sheds and a building, evidently
the office. At about the middle of the field there
was a solitary monoplane.</p>

<p>Jack gasped. Finally he remarked, “Gee, isn’t
this grand?”</p>

<p>Paul nodded. He was as much overcome with
the wonder of it as his chum. “Boy!” he exclaimed,
“it sure is.”</p>

<p>Jack said, “Let’s walk over to the buildings.”</p>

<p>His chum nodded. “Sure, let’s go.”</p>

<p>Pushing their bicycles along side of them, they
walked across the field. They could barely contain
themselves with wonder, joy and astonishment,
which was the cause of their lack of speech. For
the past weeks they had been so excited by the
news of the flying field being completed that they
found it difficult to control themselves enough to
go on with their school work. And it wasn’t only
Jack and Paul, but all their chums had suddenly
become interested in aeronautics. They began to
boast of their ambition to become pilots, fly all
over the world and enjoy all sorts of adventurous
experiences. At times, instead of studying their
biology lessons or French, they would be reading
thrilling air stories or books on flying.</p>

<p>As the two boys approached the office building,
a man emerged and waved to them. They waved<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[11]</a></span>
back. Paul whispered, “I’ll bet it’s Major McCarthy,
the manager.”</p>

<p>Paul was right. The Major was a tall, stocky
man of about forty and almost bald. He smiled to
them and said, “Hello fellows. I’m Major McCarthy.
Is there anything I can do for you?”</p>

<p>Jack said, “We came over to look around, if
you have no objections, Major.”</p>

<p>The Major smiled warmly. “Oh, none whatsoever.
You’re welcome.”</p>

<p>Paul said, “My name is Paul&mdash;Paul Morrison.”</p>

<p>“And your dad is Dr. Morrison?”</p>

<p>“That’s right. How did you know?”</p>

<p>“Well, there’s only one Dr. Morrison in Stanhope.
Glad to meet you, Paul.”</p>

<p>The two shook hands. Jack said, “I’m Jack
Stormways.”</p>

<p>“Glad to know you,” the major said and they
shook hands.</p>

<p>For a few seconds there ensued an embarrassed
silence. Neither Jack nor Paul could think of anything
to say and Major McCarthy was waiting
for them to ask questions. Finally the major said,
“Suppose you boys lean your bicycles against the
wall and I’ll show you around. There isn’t much
doing now and I have some time on my hands.”</p>

<p>Paul cried, “I think that’s swell of you.”</p>

<p>And Jack added, “Thanks a lot.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[12]</a></span></p>

<p>The boys quickly leaned their wheels against
the wall and then joined the major, one on either
side of him. The major said, “I might as well begin
by telling you something about the field. You’ll
notice that the field is cleared of all obstructions.
That’s absolutely necessary to make sure
there is nothing to cause an accident in taking off
or landing. The field is about a mile long. That’s
to provide plenty of room for taking off or
landing.”</p>

<p>Jack interrupted. “How much of a run does it
take to land or take off?”</p>

<p>Paul nodded, implying that he too was interested
in the question. Major McCarthy answered,
“It all depends. A light ship can take off in about
a hundred yards or less. A big ship heavily
loaded may take a quarter or half a mile or even
more to take off. In landing, the ground speed
depends a lot upon the velocity of the wind. The
stronger the wind, the less space required in
which to land.”</p>

<p>They were walking towards the sheds. Pointing,
Paul asked, “What’s that?”</p>

<p>The major looked in the direction the boy was
pointing. “That’s a wind indicator,” he said.
“That shows which way the wind is blowing.”</p>

<p>“And what’s the purpose of that?” Paul asked.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[13]</a></span></p>

<p>“To tell which way to land. You always land
directly into the wind.”</p>

<p>They were heading toward the monoplane. The
boys were thrilled. They had seen planes in the
movies and in the daily newspapers, but they had
never seen a <i>real</i> plane. As soon as they neared
the ship, the first reaction of the boys was to pat
it, caress it as if it were a live thing. The major
smiled casually and understood how they felt.
He said, “Suppose the two of you get into the
observer’s seat while I get into the pilot’s place
and I’ll explain a few things to you about a
plane.”</p>

<p>The boys gasped for breath, they were so
shocked by the invitation. “Do you think it’s all
right?” Paul asked bewildered.</p>

<p>“Of course,” the major answered, “otherwise
I wouldn’t ask you.”</p>

<p>Quickly, lest he reconsider his invitation, the
boys scrambled into the observer’s seat. Major McCarthy
climbed into the pilot’s seat. They leaned
over the major’s shoulders and stared at a bewildering
and numerous collection of gadgets on the
dashboard. The major said, “First I had better
explain to you the meaning of these gadgets.”
Pointing to a dial, he explained, “This is the revolution
counter. The engine in this plane is designed
to give about two thousand revolutions<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[14]</a></span>
per minute. For all practical purposes, about 1700
or 1800 revolutions are sufficient. Here, on the
right, is the throttle lever. And here are the gasoline
and oil gauges. This is the ‘doper’ which
pumps a spray of gasoline into the engine to help
in starting it up. These are the gasoline taps connecting
the two tanks and each of the tanks with
the feed pipes leading to the carburetors. And this
is the ignition control. You keep it advanced when
running but retarded when starting up. This is
the water temperature indicator. You always keep
the water pretty hot.” He paused, then he asked,
“Do you have any questions?”</p>

<p>The boys shook their heads, bewildered by it
all. “If there are no questions,” Major McCarthy
said, “then I’ll continue.”</p>

<p>“This is the control lever, or the ‘joystick’ as
it is commonly called.” And he grasped the handle
of a short straight stick that protruded upwards
between his legs from the floor of the cockpit.
“The stick is attached to a universal joint,
and it controls both the longitudinal movements
as well as the lateral movements by means of
wires attached to the elevator and the ailerons. If
you want to go up, all you do is pull the stick
back; if you want to go down, you push the stick
forward. Now notice where my feet are&mdash;on the
rudder bar. If I want to turn to the left, I push<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[15]</a></span>
my left foot forward; if I want to turn to the
right, I push the right foot forward. Simple, isn’t
it?” And he looked up to see the astonishment on
the boys’ faces. He continued with his interesting
lecture. “Now when I want to turn, I must push
the joystick over simultaneously and in the same
direction as the rudder. This is called ‘banking’
on one side. The object of banking on a turn is
to offer the under-surface of the wings as a plane
of resistance to the air. Not banking the plane
over retards the forward speed. If you don’t bank
enough you may get into a ‘flat turn’. Now a ‘flat
turn’ is bad because you may thus stall the motor
and take a nose dive and unless you keep your
head clear and straighten out again, you’ll most
likely crash. Do you understand what I’m talking
about?”</p>

<p>Both boys nodded; actually it was all a puzzle
to them. Paul remarked, “Gosh, Major, it must
be wonderful to be a pilot.”</p>

<p>“It isn’t such a bad job.”</p>

<p>“Do you think we could learn to fly?” inquired
Jack.</p>

<p>“Of course. Anybody could.”</p>

<p>“Could you teach us?” Jack was anxious.</p>

<p>“Certainly. But I imagine you’d first have to
get permission from your parents. I don’t suppose
either one of you is eighteen or over.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[16]</a></span></p>

<p>The boys shook their heads dejectedly. “I’m
only seventeen and a half,” Jack said.</p>

<p>“I’m going to be eighteen the fifteenth of next
month”&mdash;that from Paul.</p>

<p>Major McCarthy looked up. Somebody over at
the hangar was calling to him and motioning
for him to come over. “Well, I have to go now.
Let’s get out of the plane.” Walking back toward
the hangers, the major said, “Come around again
one of these days and if I have time I’ll take you
up.”</p>

<p>“Gee, wouldn’t that be swell,” Paul cried. “You
really mean it?”</p>

<p>“Of course.”</p>

<p>Jack was eager. “How about tomorrow?” he
asked.</p>

<p>Major McCarthy nodded. “Okey” he said,
“but I must ask you boys to obtain permission of
your parents. Otherwise I won’t do it.”</p>

<p>“That’s a bargain,” said Paul. “If my dad or
mother object I’ll tell you the truth.”</p>

<p>“Same here,” chimed in his chum.</p>

<p>“All right then, I’ll see you boys tomorrow.”</p>

<p>Waving their hands to the Major, they took
their bicycles and walked off the field.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[17]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER II</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">The Meeting</span></p>

<p>Peddling back to town, their minds were in the
clouds. Each one was thinking how wonderful
it would be to learn to fly, to be a pilot and fly all
over the country, perhaps all over the world.
And when they thought of the adventure that was
in store for them, their hearts swelled with joy
and their pulses missed a couple of beats. Paul,
who was riding behind, pulled up alongside of
his chum, and asked, “Do you think we ought to
tell the boys about it?”</p>

<p>“You mean about our coming over here?” Jack
queried.</p>

<p>“Yes.”</p>

<p>“Why not? They would certainly be very much
interested and there’s no reason why we can’t
tell them.”</p>

<p>Paul mused for a moment. Then he said, “But
if we tell them that the Major promised to take
us up tomorrow, then the whole gang will come
out here and want to be taken up. Then perhaps
he won’t take any one of us up.”</p>

<p>“I never thought of that,” Jack said. “But then<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[18]</a></span>
I suppose&mdash;” He didn’t finish his sentence because
he didn’t know what to say. He didn’t want to
hold anything back from the boys, yet he thought
it was rather selfish on his part not to let them in
on it. The same thoughts were going through
Paul’s head. They were both fine chaps and ready
to share with their friends not only their thoughts,
adventures but even their most personal things.
But the idea of going up in the air, of actually
flying in a real airplane, stunned them. And they
naturally hated to be deprived of their forthcoming
joyous adventure. Finally, Jack said, “I don’t
know, but I think we ought to tell them.”</p>

<p>Paul’s face lit up. “That’s just what I was
thinking,” he told his chum.</p>

<p>That off their chests, they wheeled into town
briskly. On Main Street, they caught sight of Arline
Blair. They jumped off their bikes as they
pulled up alongside of her. “Hello, Arline,” both
boys cried out.</p>

<p>She was about a year younger than the boys
and one of the prettiest girls in town. “Hello,”
she said. “Where are you boys coming from?
You’re so flushed and look so happy, I wonder
what you fellows were up to.”</p>

<p>“We were over to the airport,” Paul told her.</p>

<p>“Really?” She opened her eyes wide with astonishment.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[19]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack blurted out, “Sure. And we’re going to
learn how to fly and be pilots.”</p>

<p>“Both of us,” added Paul.</p>

<p>Arline pursed her lips. “Isn’t it glorious just to
think of it!” she remarked.</p>

<p>The boys stuck their chests out. “It certainly
is,” both agreed.</p>

<p>Paul asked, “Which way are you going,
Arline?”</p>

<p>“Home.”</p>

<p>“Take you there on my handle bars.”</p>

<p>Jack interrupted, “Perhaps Miss Blair would
prefer to ride on my handle bars.”</p>

<p>Arline shook her head. “No. It isn’t very nice
for a young lady to ride on handle bars,” she remarked
coolly.</p>

<p>“But you used to do it and like it too,” insisted
Paul.</p>

<p>“Yes, that’s right,” echoed Jack, “you used to
ask me to give you rides.”</p>

<p>Miss Blair raised her chin several inches. “My
childhood days are over, gentlemen. Good day
Mr. Morrison, and you, Mr. Stormways.” And
with that continued her walk down the street,
every inch of her a queen.</p>

<p>Jack and Paul looked at each other puzzled,
speechless. Paul shrugged his shoulders and put
his hand out. Seriously and affectionately they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[20]</a></span>
shook hands, jumped on their bikes and were off
again.</p>

<p>When the two boys arrived at the meeting
place, they found their chums, members of their
Patrol, waiting for them. All were dressed in
Scout uniforms. The Carberry twins&mdash;Wallace
and William&mdash;were there; so were Bluff Shipley,
Bobolink (Robert Oliver Link), Nuthin’ (Albert
Cypher), and Ken Armstrong. Just as soon as
Paul and Jack came in sight, the boys set up a
howl. “Hey, where have you guys been?”</p>

<p>“We’ve been waiting an hour for you fellows.”</p>

<p>“What’s the idea of keeping us waiting like
this?”</p>

<p>“You fellows must be up to some mischief.”</p>

<p>Paul and Jack looked at each other and smiled.
Paul held up his hand and the boys quieted down
considerably. “Would you care to know where
we’ve been?”</p>

<p>“Of course.”</p>

<p>“Certainly.”</p>

<p>“Come on, Paul, tell us.”</p>

<p>“Hey, Jack, don’t hold back on us.”</p>

<p>Jack, to tantalize his friends, turned to Paul
and asked, “Do you think we ought to tell them?”</p>

<p>“Hey, how do you get that way?”</p>

<p>Wallace began jumping up and down. “You
better tell us,” he cried, “or we’ll roast you.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[21]</a></span></p>

<p>“Roast them, that’s it,” echoed Bobolink.</p>

<p>Paul held up his hand and the boys quieted
down. “We’ve been over to the airport,” he announced.</p>

<p>Bedlam broke loose, the boys were so thrilled
and excited. So many questions were hurled at the
two boys that they stuck their fingers into their
ears and turned away. When the boys finally
quieted down again, Paul said, “If you promise
to keep order, we’ll tell you about it.”</p>

<p>Bluff stuttered, “Sure, we p-p-promise. Don’t
we, b-boys?”</p>

<p>They all nodded and agreed. Between Paul and
Jack it was decided that Paul should be the one
to narrate the events of their adventurous afternoon.
As he told the story, the boys gasped with
amazement. And when he told them about the
major’s promise to take them up into the air on
the morrow, the boys were dumbfounded. Finally,
the first one to regain his speech, William, exclaimed,
“Gee, what luck!”</p>

<p>Bluff muttered mournfully, “Luck! There is no
word for it. These two have all the luck in the
world.”</p>

<p>Wallace, the sober and serious one of the twins
arose. “Scouts,” he began in a dignified tone, “in
view of the fact that we are all interested in aeronautics,
I propose&mdash;” he hesitated and looked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[22]</a></span>
around to see all eyes on him. “I propose,” he
continued, “that we consider ways and means to
learn everything there is about flying and about
airplanes.”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ cried, “That’s a mighty fine suggestion,
but how are we going to do it?”</p>

<p>Paul suggested, “We might talk it over with
Major McCarthy, he’s the manager of the airport
and he ought to know.”</p>

<p>Bobolink cried, “Sure he knows and he’ll tell
us too. I want to be a pilot.”</p>

<p>“S-s-same here,” stuttered Bluff.</p>

<p>“In that case,” spoke up Jack, “I guess we
better postpone any further discussion until Paul
and I will see Major McCarthy tomorrow. We’ll
speak to him and then report back.”</p>

<p>“That’s swell.”</p>

<p>“Okey.”</p>

<p>“That’s the right idea.”</p>

<p>Paul asked, “Is everybody agreed?” All the
boys nodded. “Then the meeting is adjourned
until tomorrow,” he concluded.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[23]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER III</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Bobolink is a Hero</span></p>

<p>Jack and Paul mounted their bicycles and peddled
along very leisurely. The other six, in formation,
marched on the side walk. Suddenly a shriek
pierced the air. Bobolink was the first to notice.
Dropping out of line, he began to run at full
speed. The others, although they were not sure
what it was all about, nevertheless also joined in
the run. A blue sedan was speeding down the
street and bearing down on a little boy of about
three who, unconcerned of traffic or any danger,
was crossing the street. Half way across he
paused and stared for several seconds at the cobblestones,
then he continued walking to the other
side, thus getting into the path of the oncoming,
speeding automobile. Several women screamed.
The mother, about ten yards away, fainted.</p>

<p>Bobolink ran until his breath was gone. It was
the fastest hundred yard run a human could do.
The speeding car was barely a yard away when
Bobolink reached the spot. With his outstretched
arms he gave the child a shove that sent him
sprawling. The next moment he saw a galaxy of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[24]</a></span>
stars, a piercing pain made him cry out and then
darkness, unconsciousness. The automobile had
side-swiped him and scraped his right side.</p>

<p>A great number of people immediately collected
and surrounded the two victims. The child,
except for being shocked and very slightly bruised,
was unhurt. Bobolink, however, lay stretched out,
appearing more dead than alive.</p>

<p>Paul and Jack, on their bicycles, saw the incident.
Immediately they wheeled around and peddled
vigorously after the speeding car. Ordinarily,
the chase would have been a futile and useless gesture.
But the boys knew that about 500 yards
away was a very sharp left turn, and at the speed
the driver was going, he was sure either to crash
or turn over. And sure enough, the driver, ignorant
of the sharp turn ahead, did not slow up until
it was too late. Frantically he swung the wheel, so
he would not crash into the wall that loomed up
in front of him. The side of the car bounced
against the concrete wall and turned over into the
ditch. Just as the boys came up and jumped off
their wheels, the driver had extricated himself.
He was a tall, husky, evil looking young man.
Dazed, he stood wavering on his legs and shaking
himself trying to shake off his dizziness. Without
hesitation, the boys jumped on him. He offered no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[25]</a></span>
resistance. He lay stunned. Paul said, “Guess he’s
out all right.”</p>

<p>They looked down at the unconscious form
sprawling on the ground. The man’s face was a
mass of blood and his hand was twisted as though
broken at the wrist. Paul said, “I’ll stay here and
watch him. You ride back and get the police and
have an ambulance come.”</p>

<p>Jack nodded. “But suppose he comes to, do you
think you could hold him?”</p>

<p>Paul looked down at the victim. “Even if he
comes to,” he said, “he’d be too weak to run or
put up any fight.”</p>

<p>“All right, then,” Jack said, “I’m going.”</p>

<p>But just as he was about to mount his bike, he
saw an ambulance come speeding toward them.
Evidently someone in the house a short distance
away had seen the accident and immediately reported
it by telephone.</p>

<p>The ambulance stopped. An interne jumped out
and with him a policeman. The doctor examined
the man, then had him put on a stretcher and into
the ambulance. The policeman examined the
wrecked car, took the license number, removed a
valise, and then questioned Paul and Jack who
told him all they knew. They asked him about
Bobolink but he knew nothing of what happened
to the boy.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[26]</a></span></p>

<p>The ambulance turned around and went back
to town. With heavy hearts and wondering
whether their friend was alive or dead, the two
boys mounted their bikes and wheeled back to
town. Jack sidled up to his chum. “What are we
going to do now, Paul?” he asked.</p>

<p>“I guess we better try to find out how Bobolink
is,” he answered.</p>

<p>“He was a swell guy,” muttered Jack.</p>

<p>“He certainly was,” echoed Paul.</p>

<p>“Do you think he was killed or just hurt?”</p>

<p>Paul shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t know,” he
answered. “We better wait and see.”</p>

<p>They peddled along slowly and mournfully. At
last they came to Bobolink’s home and found all
the other boys idling dolefully on the porch.</p>

<p>Paul approached the twins and asked, “How is
he?”</p>

<p>Wallace shook his head and turned away. William
whispered hoarsely, “Don’t know yet.”</p>

<p>About ten minutes later Dr. Morrison emerged
from the house. Noticing the boys congregated on
the porch, with their faces drawn and appearing
quite sombre, he looked puzzled, then suddenly
smiled. They rushed up and surrounded him. Paul
asked, “How is he, Dad?”</p>

<p>“He’s fine,” Dr. Morrison replied. “Nothing
to worry about. He’ll be back with you and running<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[27]</a></span>
around as though nothing had happened, in
three days.”</p>

<p>Bluff for once didn’t stutter and cried, “Hooray!
Hooray for Bobolink!”</p>

<p>The other boys joined and they cheered the
hero. When they quieted down, Paul asked his
father, “May we go in to see him?”</p>

<p>The doctor nodded. “Yes, of course. That is, if
it’s all right with Mrs. Link.”</p>

<p>So Jack was delegated to go in and ask Mrs.
Link for permission to see Bobolink, which was
granted. So they entered in a body to cheer up the
invalid and hero.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[28]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IV</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Flying</span></p>

<p>That evening Paul and Jack approached their
parents for permission to be taken up in an airplane.
Paul encountered little difficulty, much to
his surprise. Of course, he was cautioned several
times to be careful and he reiterated all the arguments
he could muster about how safe flying had
become and that there was no danger involved at
all. Jack, on the other hand, found his mother set
against any such thing. His father was reasonable
and consented, but only on condition that his
mother did not object. But she did, very strenuously!
Jack argued his case as well as the best
lawyers until his mother would no longer answer
him but merely shake her head. Finally he told
her that if Paul’s mother didn’t object he didn’t
see why she should. So she called up Mrs. Morrison
and then reluctantly gave her consent. Jack
jumped high in the air and whooped for joy.</p>

<p>That night both boys found it difficult to fall
asleep thinking of the adventure that was in store
for them. And when they finally did fall asleep
they dreamed of all sorts of things. Jack dreamed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[29]</a></span>
that he was a pilot flying across the country. Paul
dreamed that he and his chum were flying across
the jungles of South America and that they
crashed and became lost in the jungles. And just
as a wild animal which he couldn’t recognize was
about to jump at him, he woke up and tumbled
out of bed.</p>

<p>At about noon, Jack met Paul at the latter’s
home and, mounting their bicycles, they were off
to the airport. They were so thrilled that they
couldn’t talk. So they peddled along briskly and
when they arrived at their destination they found
the Carberry twins and Nuthin’ already there and
waiting for them. As Paul and Jack came in sight,
the three boys set up a yell. Major McCarthy
came out of the office building and waved to them.
“Hello, there,” he said. “Are you ready to go
up?”</p>

<p>Paul cried, “Sure. And we can hardly wait.”</p>

<p>Jack said, “And our parents gave us permission,
too.”</p>

<p>The major smiled cheerfully. “I don’t see any
reason for them to object,” he said, “but then
some parents object thinking that it’s dangerous
when it isn’t at all.”</p>

<p>The boys agreed with him. Nuthin’ cried, “You
fellows don’t know how lucky you are. I’d give
a right arm to be in your place.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[30]</a></span></p>

<p>William offered higher stakes. He said, “I’d
give a right arm and a right leg to change places
with either of you two.”</p>

<p>Major McCarthy grinned. “Maybe I’ll take
you boys up on that,” he said. “I can always use
a couple of right arms.”</p>

<p>William jumped high in the air and whooped.
“Say, do you mean that?” he demanded.</p>

<p>“I’m not saying a thing,” the major replied.
“We’ll just wait and see.”</p>

<p>He went into the office and returned a few minutes
later. “Already to go up?” he asked. They
answered eagerly that they were and he said,
“Then let’s go.”</p>

<p>The two boys fell in alongside of him with the
three others trailing behind. At the hangar, one
of the mechanics helped the major wheel out the
plane. Then the mechanic hunted up a couple of
jackets and goggles for the boys. When everything
was ready, the major said, “All right, boys,
climb into the observer’s seat. If you make yourselves
small enough, there will be plenty of room
for both of you.”</p>

<p>They climbed in. The other three boys were
told to retreat about a hundred yards away.
Finally the major got into the cockpit. Turning
to the boys, he asked them, “Everything all right?
Not frightened?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[31]</a></span></p>

<p>They shook their heads and assured him that
they felt perfectly at ease. The mechanic grasped
hold of the propeller. “Ready! Switch off! Suck
in!” he shouted.</p>

<p>“Switch off! Suck in!” answered the pilot.</p>

<p>The boys leaned over to watch what the pilot
was doing. As the mechanic turned the propeller
over about half a dozen times, the pilot, with a
few strokes of the doping pump, sprayed gasoline
vapor into the cylinders. “Contact!” cried the
mechanic.</p>

<p>“Contact!” replied the major. He pressed
down the switches and quickly turned the handle
of the starting magneto. Brrr ... brrrr ... went
the engine. The mechanic sprang away. The mechanic
made as though to bound forward but was
checked by the wooden chocks, placed in front of
the under-carriage wheels.</p>

<p>Just as he was ready, he turned back and asked,
“Are you ready boys?”</p>

<p>“Yes, sir,” they replied.</p>

<p>“Very well, then, we’re off.”</p>

<p>The three boys at the sheds cheered lustily as
the machine began to move and Paul and Jack
waved to them. And before they realized it the
machine was about six feet off the ground which
seemed to be falling away beneath them. The
plane kept climbing steadily upwards. The boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[32]</a></span>
leaned forward. They saw that the air-speed indicator
registered a little over a hundred miles an
hour, and they wondered because they couldn’t
feel the machine traveling at such a rate of speed.
As they continued to climb, the boys looked over
the side at the scene below them. The earth now
appeared like a great colored map, with fields
showing up in different shades of green and
brown. The airport which they had only shortly
left, was a little to the left of them. Sheds and
houses and barns appeared as very small rectangular
blocks. As they climbed still higher, things
took on yet smaller proportions. Major McCarthy
spoke to them through the telephone. “Well,
how do you like it?” he asked.</p>

<p>Paul answered for both of them. “Marvelous!”
he cried.</p>

<p>The pilot banked the machine and it steeped
over on one side so sharply that the boys instinctively
clutched for support. McCarthy’s voice
came over the telephone “Don’t be alarmed,” he
said, “there’s no danger and you can’t fall out.”
He straightened out the machine. Again they
heard his voice. “Feel a little giddy?” he asked.
“If you do,” he cried, “look down upon some fixed
object on the ground and you’ll feel all right.”</p>

<p>Both boys complied with his instructions and
they soon got over their giddiness. The pilot kept<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[33]</a></span>
the machine sailing at an even keel. Soon they
were flying over a small town and they saw what
appeared to them as ants scurrying along. They
knew that the ants were really men and women
and they marveled how small they appeared. As a
matter of fact, everything looked like toys from
that distance and flying above a railroad, the track
seemed to be two thin lines drawn with a pencil.
Major McCarthy’s voice came over the telephone.
“How would you boys like some stunts?” he
asked.</p>

<p>The boys grinned at each other. Paul answered
for both of them. “Very much,” he said.</p>

<p>“All right,” he said, “we’ll have to be satisfied
with only one today. Just to see how you fellows
take it. First we’ll bank and turn around. Ready!”</p>

<p>But before they could answer the pilot already
had the machine keeled over on one side. On an
even keel again, the major asked them, “How
about your safety belts.” They adjusted their
safety belts and told him so. “Very well,” he said,
“here goes.” And so saying, he opened the throttle
and the plane bounded forward. In a few seconds
the nose sprang upward. As it rose the forward
speed decreased, yet the engine continued
to run at the maximum revolutions. The machine
was not pointing vertically upwards. For a moment
the plane appeared to hang on the revolving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[34]</a></span>
propeller and it felt as though the machine must
inevitably drop tail foremost. But right away the
nose fell over to one side and dropped and the
tail shot up and the machine was shooting sharply
downward. For some distance they continued to
dive, then the pilot shut off the throttle and pulled
back the elevator lever and brought the plane
again on an even keel. However, they were now
flying in the opposite direction. McCarthy asked,
“How was it?”</p>

<p>The boys were thrilled. “Fine!” cried Paul.</p>

<p>“Were you afraid?”</p>

<p>“No, not in the least.”</p>

<p>“Well, that was an easy one, but the next time
we’ll try a harder one.”</p>

<p>Jack couldn’t contain himself, so he cried,
“How about now?”</p>

<p>Major McCarthy shook his head. “Enough for
today,” he told them.</p>

<p>They were now flying over the airport and a
minute later they landed. The three waiting boys
sent up a couple of greeting cheers and ran over
to meet the grinning two who were tumbling out
of the plane. “How was it?” demanded Nuthin’.</p>

<p>William was impatient. “Tell us about it,
quick,” he cried.</p>

<p>Paul nudged his chum in the ribs and asked,
“Do you think we ought to tell them?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[35]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack smiled and wiggled his head. “I don’t
know,” he said. “I think we ought to consider it.”</p>

<p>William was impatient. “Hey, come on,” he
cried. “No stalling now.”</p>

<p>The major joined the group and the two boys
thanked him. He said, “It’s quite all right, boys,
I’m only too glad to do it. And by the way, I
heard all about what happened yesterday. You tell
that fellow, what’s his name&mdash;”</p>

<p>“Bobolink,” cried Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“Bobolink,” repeated the major. “He’s a
friend of yours, isn’t he?”</p>

<p>Wallace interjected, “He certainly is. He is a
grand fellow, too.”</p>

<p>“I’m glad to hear it,” said the major. “So you
tell him that just as soon as he’s recovered, to
come over here and I’ll take him up for a ride.”</p>

<p>“Yea!” cried Nuthin’, “hooray for Major
McCarthy!”</p>

<p>They gave the major three cheers. But William
wanted to know something else. “How about
us?”</p>

<p>“Well,” he said, “I’ll think it over.” They were
now at the door of the office building. Entering,
he turned around and said, “Don’t go away, now.
I’ll be out right away.”</p>

<p>The boys squatted on the ground, with Paul
and Jack in the center and the two boys were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[36]</a></span>
obliged to tell every detail of their experience.
It took about fifteen to twenty minutes to narrate
the story and when finally it was told, the boys
sat back, speechless and lost in thought. William
said, “Gee, I hope the major gives me a ride. I’d
do anything.”</p>

<p>Wallace said, “Getting a ride is all very well,
but what I really am interested in is to learn how
to fly. I wonder if it’s hard to learn.”</p>

<p>“No, I don’t think so,” replied Paul. “Major
McCarthy told us yesterday that it was easy to
learn.”</p>

<p>Jack said, “I was watching him all the time and
it looks very simple. But we could ask him.”</p>

<p>“Yes, we could do that,” remarked Wallace,
“but what we want to know is whether he would
teach us.”</p>

<p>William spoke up, saying, “All of us.”</p>

<p>“Of course, all of us,” agreed Paul.</p>

<p>Just then the major came out and they called
him over. He seated himself on the ground beside
them. Paul asked, “Do you think you could teach
us how to fly?”</p>

<p>“Of course,” he said. “I’ve taught a lot of people
how to fly.”</p>

<p>“Is it difficult to learn?” demanded Wallace.</p>

<p>“Why, no. On the contrary, it’s very simple.”</p>

<p>Again Wallace asked a question. “If you could<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[37]</a></span>
teach us to fly, would we&mdash;would we&mdash;” he hesitated.
Finally he said, “Would it cost a lot of
money?”</p>

<p>McCarthy thought for a moment. “Well,” he
said, “I don’t think so. As a matter of fact, I’d
love to teach you young fellows and I’m sure we
could come to some arrangement.”</p>

<p>“That’s mighty nice of you,” Paul said, voicing
the sentiment of the other boys.</p>

<p>“I think what you ought to do,” said McCarthy,
“is to consider yourself a single group and
I’ll teach you as a group. Of course I couldn’t
take you up all together, but whatever ground-work
there is to be done, I could instruct you as a
group.”</p>

<p>“That’s just what we were thinking, sir,” said
Jack.</p>

<p>“In that case, everything is settled, except that
I must insist that you bring written permission
from your parents. Is that agreeable?”</p>

<p>The boys were so surprised and shocked by
the willingness of McCarthy to instruct them
that they were left almost speechless. William was
the first one to recover. “You mean to say that
you’re actually willing to teach us to fly?” he
asked skeptically.</p>

<p>The major smiled and nodded. “That’s just
what I said, didn’t I?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[38]</a></span></p>

<p>“Yes, but you said it so casually and carelessly
that we didn’t grasp it at once,” said Nuthin’.
“Say it again, please, sir,” he pleaded.</p>

<p>Major McCarthy reiterated his offer and the
boys let out wild yells of joy.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[39]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER V</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">The Reward</span></p>

<p>The major got up and the boys also jumped to
their feet. “Well, who wants to go up now?” he
asked.</p>

<p>“I do!” cried William lustily.</p>

<p>“Me too,” insisted Wallace.</p>

<p>“What about me?”&mdash;that from Nuthin’.</p>

<p>The three boys milled around the major. Paul
and Jack, smiling, retreated to the background.
They had had their ride and it was somebody
else’s turn now. “I’ll tell you what,” the major
said, “the three of you choose and I’ll take the
two winners up now. And when I come down I’ll
take up the loser.”</p>

<p>It was a good suggestion and fair enough. And
as luck would have it, William who was the most
persistent and eager, lost and his twin brother
Wallace and Nuthin’ went up. From the ground,
they watched the plane in the air. McCarthy
kept them in the air for a much shorter time than
Paul and Jack and performed no stunts. When
they landed, the two boys, thrilled and excited,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[40]</a></span>
climbed out of the machine. The pilot smiled
cheerfully and cried, “Well, who’s next?”</p>

<p>William shouted, “I am!” And quickly and
eagerly tumbled into the observer’s seat. This
time the other boys thought that William was the
lucky chap, since he was going to fly all by himself.
Jack immediately spoke up. “Major McCarthy,”
he said, “would it be all right with you if
the four of us chose to see which one of us could
go up with you a second time?”</p>

<p>He nodded. “Sure,” he said. “That’s fair
enough, I guess.”</p>

<p>Paul was the lucky one and he went up in the
air for a second time. When McCarthy landed,
the boys thanked him heartily. When they returned
to Stanhope they all went to Bobolink’s
house because he was still unable to leave his bed
and they had decided to hold the meeting that
afternoon in his room. When they got there, they
found Bluff and Ken already present and they
could hardly contain their excitement. William,
impatient as well as impulsive, broke into the
room, shouting, “Hey, fellows, we flew in a real
airplane.”</p>

<p>The boys in the room were also highly excited
and Bluff, who was eager to explain, stuttered so
because of the exciting news, that he couldn’t<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[41]</a></span>
talk. He cried, “A-a-a-and y-y-you n-n-n-know
what&mdash;”</p>

<p>He was interrupted, however, by Ken, who
called out, “Wait, Bluff, don’t tell them until we
hear what they have to say.”</p>

<p>Paul demanded, “What is it you’ve got to tell
us?”</p>

<p>Bobolink, propped up in bed, declared, “Oh,
nothing, nothing much.”</p>

<p>But their eyes glittered so with excitement and
their faces were so flushed that the new-comers
could tell at a glance that there was something up.</p>

<p>“Say, you fellows are holding something from
us; come on, tell us,” William demanded.</p>

<p>Ken, who was always able to keep a straight
face, no matter what happened, remarked very
coolly and casually, “Nothing, really. You tell us
first what happened at the airport. Did you all
get a ride?”</p>

<p>The boys grinned. “We most certainly did,”
announced William.</p>

<p>“Each and everyone of us,” added Jack.</p>

<p>Paul said modestly, blushing to admit the
truth, “I went up twice.”</p>

<p>Bluff made believe he was fainting. “Is that
b-boy l-l-lucky!” he exclaimed, “H-h-how come y-y-you
w-were thus h-h-honored?” he wanted to
know.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[42]</a></span></p>

<p>Paul explained. Wallace interrupted to say,
“And what’s more, Major McCarthy told us to
tell you, Bobolink, that just as soon as you’re recuperated,
he’s going to take you up, too.”</p>

<p>The boys swarmed about Bobolink’s bed and
the boy had to turn his head from one side to the
other to listen to what each fellow said. He replied,
“I’m glad and I appreciate the major’s
offer but I wish you boys would stop jumping
around like frogs and get chairs and sit down.”
He was interrupted by William and Jack who began
to speak at once but he stopped them and
added, “Don’t all talk at the same time.”</p>

<p>Wallace got ahead of all the others this time
and announced, “Major McCarthy also told us
that he is going to teach us all how to fly.”</p>

<p>Bluff and Ken who heard the news for the first
time, jumped high in the air and shouted,
“Wow!!”</p>

<p>Paul called the boys to order and admonished
them not to make so much noise because that
would be a very poor manner in which to reciprocate
Mrs. Link’s kindness in permitting them to
meet in Bobolink’s room. All the boys nodded and
agreed to refrain from making any further noise.
They brought in chairs, placed them around the
bed and sat down very orderly to discuss the business
at hand, which was, Major McCarthy’s offer<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[43]</a></span>
to teach them how to fly. For the moment they
forgot everything else and thought only of their
ambition to learn how to fly and be pilots. Bluff,
however, soon remembered that there was some
exciting news to tell which had been temporarily
forgotten. At the first opportunity, therefore, he
interrupted and said, “W-w-wait a minute, f-f-fellows,
we h-h-have f-f-forg-g-gotten s-s-something.”</p>

<p>Given the cue, they all suddenly remembered.
William jumped out of his seat and cried, “That’s
right, you were supposed to tell us something.
So come across, don’t hold back, tell us,” he
demanded.</p>

<p>Bluff waved his arms and wanted to tell but
Ken restrained him and said, “No, it’s Bobolink’s
news; let him tell it.”</p>

<p>All eyes turned on Bobolink. A modest and unassuming
person, he hesitated. Ken urged him on,
saying, “Don’t be bashful, tell them.”</p>

<p>Blushing, he said, “It’s really Paul and Jack
who deserve all the credit for catching that crook
and they should really get all of the reward.”</p>

<p>“Reward! What reward?”</p>

<p>“What crook?”</p>

<p>They all spoke simultaneously, without listening
to each other. Paul held up his hand and
motioned for everybody to be quiet. He said,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[44]</a></span>
“Let’s first hear what it’s all about. All right,
Bobolink, tell us what you’re talking about.”</p>

<p>Bobolink said, “Well, the story is all very simple.
You remember yesterday how that speeder
nearly ran over the Smither’s kid?”</p>

<p>They all nodded. Wallace said, “Of course we
do, and if it weren’t for you, the kid would be
dead.”</p>

<p>“It wasn’t much, really,” said Bobolink. “But
what happened afterwards is what’s really important.
Jack and Paul went after the fellow and
caught him and then the police arrested him.”</p>

<p>William was impatient. “So what about it?”
he demanded.</p>

<p>“Well,” continued Bobolink, “a short while
ago Chief of Police Bates called up and said that
there was a two thousand dollar reward for the
arrest of that fellow and that very likely the
money will be awarded to be shared by Paul, Jack
and me. But it’s Jack and Paul who should really
get all of it.”</p>

<p>The last sentence was not heard because of the
commotion that followed. The boys jumped high
in the air, shouted, screamed, cheered Paul, Jack
and Bobolink. They were beside themselves with
joy. When at last they quieted down, Jack asked,
“But who’s the culprit, Bobolink? What crime did
he commit and who’s giving the reward?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[45]</a></span></p>

<p>Bobolink answered, “Chief Bates explained to
mother that the culprit is a well known counterfeiter
and the government is giving the reward.
He said that in a day or two a government agent
will come to town to determine who really deserves
the reward. But my mother told me that he
assured her that the three of us are going to get
the reward.”</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[46]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VI</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">What To Do With The Money?</span></p>

<p>The boys were in such a turmoil of excitement
that they barely noticed Jack and Paul draw aside
and whisper together. It took them only a few
seconds to agree to a mutual proposal. Paul
walked over to Bobolink and whispered something
in his ear. Paul then called the boys to order, told
them to sit down, then said, “Fellows, we have
some serious thinking to do. We must determine
the best manner in which to dispose of the $2,000
reward.”</p>

<p>Ken objected. “What do you mean ‘we’?” he
demanded. “The money belongs to you, Jack and
Bobolink and it’s up to you to do as you please
with it.”</p>

<p>Jack and Bobolink shook their heads in disagreement
with the statement. William, however,
remarked, “I think Ken is right.”</p>

<p>Bluff nodded in agreement while Wallace was
noncommital. Paul said, “The money belongs to
all of us, the members of this Patrol. Furthermore,
if there is any argument about it, Jack,
Bobolink and I are agreed that we want the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[47]</a></span>
money to be shared by the eight of us. Now let’s
discuss, orderly and intelligently, what we should
do with the money.”</p>

<p>All the boys were silent, not knowing what to
say or how to deal with the situation. Wallace,
however, the sober and serious fellow of the
group, remarked, “I’m sure all the boys agree
with me when I say that we appreciate very much
the gesture of Paul, Jack and Bobolink. Furthermore,
it is my opinion that none of us should hesitate
to accept their offer. Ever since I can remember,
since the time we were kids, we have always
lived together, played together, gone to school
together and shared each other’s property. If a
fellow had a dime, he bought candy and shared it
with all of us. I cannot remember a single instance
when a fellow refused to share anything he possessed
with the rest of us. You’ll remember that
when we first became Scouts, we pooled our money
to buy uniforms for <i>all</i> of us. We’ve been doing
that ever since and therefore I&mdash;”</p>

<p>That was quite a long speech and the boys
would not permit him to continue. They applauded
him to show their whole-hearted agreement.
Even Ken now agreed and said, “I think
we owe a vote of thanks to Wallace for explaining
it to us and making it so clear that we cannot
help but agree with him.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[48]</a></span></p>

<p>Some of the boys nodded. William jumped up
to offer a suggestion. He said, “All right, we all
agree by now that the money is the property of all
of us. Now what are we going to do with it? I
propose that we use it to learn how to fly and&mdash;”</p>

<p>“R-r-righto!” exclaimed Bluff.</p>

<p>“I think that is a good idea and it suits me perfectly,”
said Jack.</p>

<p>“Same here.” cried Nuthin’.</p>

<p>The others nodded their approval.</p>

<p>William held up his hand and called for order.
“I’m not finished yet,” he cried.</p>

<p>“What else?” someone asked.</p>

<p>“Hear, hear!” somebody else shouted.</p>

<p>William continued. “What I want to add is
this,” he declared, “That we have enough money
not only for all of us to learn how to fly but maybe
to buy a plane, too.”</p>

<p>“Wow! Wouldn’t that be swell!”</p>

<p>“Perfect is the word!”</p>

<p>“Gee, a plane of our own!”</p>

<p>Paul made himself heard. He said, “We’ll
have to wait and discuss it with Major
McCarthy.”</p>

<p>“That’s right, we’ll do that.”</p>

<p>“He’s just the man.”</p>

<p>“I’m sure he’ll be glad to advise us.”</p>

<p>Wallace rose to address the boys. He said,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[49]</a></span>
“We’ve been so excited that we’ve completely forgotten
how to think straight.” The boys were
seized by a feeling of discomfort. “I know that I
too got lost in the excitement,” he added, “and
only a moment ago it occurred to me that we
weren’t quite fair to our parents. We should by all
means consult them and find out whether they object
to what we propose to do with the money.”</p>

<p>The boys became sombre and thoughtful. Someone
said, “But after all, the money is ours and we
ought to be able to do with it as we please.”</p>

<p>William added, “And suppose they won’t let
us use the money to learn how to fly, what’ll we
do?”</p>

<p>Paul said, “I don’t think we should feel disheartened
by the thought that perhaps our parents
will object to the manner in which we propose
to use the money. I’m sure that our fathers
and mothers are considerate of our welfare and
will most likely permit us to dispose of the money
according to our desires. Whatever we do, however,
we should by all means take our parents into
our confidence and ask for their advice.”</p>

<p>Jack supported his chum. He announced, “I
agree whole-heartedly with Paul and I hope you
all do likewise.”</p>

<p>Bobolink raised his hand. “I do,” he declared.</p>

<p>“S-s-same here,” Bluff cried.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[50]</a></span></p>

<p>“And me too,” said Wallace.</p>

<p>The others also agreed. It was then decided
that Wallace, Paul and Jack approach Dr. Morrison
and speak to him about it. The meeting was
then adjourned.</p>

<p>On the street, the boys were acclaimed everywhere.
It seemed that the news had spread all
over town very quickly. Walking through the
streets, many townspeople stopped the boys to
congratulate them, shake hands and slap them on
the back. By the time they arrived at Dr. Morrison’s
office, they were worn out. Dr. Morrison
greeted them, then asked, “Well boys, what can
I do for you?”</p>

<p>Jack distorted his facial features and muttered,
“Something for a backache, Doctor, I’m all sore.”</p>

<p>The doctor laughed good naturedly. Paul held
up his right hand. “Dad,” he said, “my fingers are
swollen, can you do something?”</p>

<p>Wallace interjected, saying, “And I, the innocent
party, have to suffer also.”</p>

<p>The doctor smiled, then remarked, “I guess it’s
because you fellows deserve it.”</p>

<p>They settled down to a serious talk and told
Dr. Morrison everything that had transpired. He
listened respectfully and carefully noted all their
remarks. When they were finished, he agreed with
them and then suggested that each boy explain the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[51]</a></span>
entire matter to his father and mother and then
invite them to a meeting at Dr. Morrison’s home
the following evening. He offered to speak over
the telephone with all the parents and personally
urge them to come to the meeting. The boys
thought it was a very good plan and agreed to go
and tell it to the other boys.</p>

<p>The following evening all the parents assembled
at the home of Dr. and Mrs. Morrison. The
boys were somewhat nervous and fidgety. They
met again in Bobolink’s room and worried together.
What if their parents vetoed their plan
or decided that the money should be disposed of
in some other manner? What if their fathers and
mothers decided this, that, or something else?
They were truly worried.</p>

<p>In the meanwhile the parents assembled. Paul
had been told to stay with Jack for the night. Dr.
Morrison called the meeting to order and suggested
that they elect a chairman. He himself was
nominated and elected unanimously. It didn’t take
long after that for the meeting to warm up and
for everyone present to enter the discussion and
passionately plead his or her arguments. Soon the
parents became separated into two factions, one
led by Dr. Morrison and the other by Mr. Armstrong.
It was Dr. Morrison’s idea that although
the parents should by all means keep a guiding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[52]</a></span>
hand over the boys and advise them accordingly,
yet the plan of the boys to use the money for
flying instructions, should be respected. Mr. Armstrong
argued that he was not anxious to disappoint
the boys and that learning to be a pilot
was all right as far as he was concerned, but he
thought that the money should be used for more
worthy purposes. For instance, the money might
be used to send some poor but deserving boy
through college, or it might be used to build a club
house for the boys.</p>

<p>Mr. Carberry, who supported Dr. Morrison,
argued that the suggestion of a club house was a
poor one, because the boys always had a
place at their disposal to meet; that such a
state of affairs was preferable to a club house
where they would withdraw and do things the parents
would be ignorant of. And as for using the
money to send some poor but able boy to college,
it was a most commendable suggestion but the
money after all belonged to the boys and they
should be permitted to use it for their own ends.</p>

<p>Mr. Link, who supported Mr. Armstrong, argued
that it was all right to let the boys have their
way but that when they were on the verge of doing
something wrong, such as mis-using a large
sum of money, it was up to the parents to advise
them and see that they acted differently;</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[53]</a></span></p>

<p>And thus arguments flew back and forth. Finally
Mr. Shipley suggested that a vote be taken to
see how matters stood. A show of hands revealed
that one faction won by a vote of ten to six. There
was some applause and then Dr. Morrison told
them all to relax, that although they had argued
one against another, it was all on good faith and
friendliness. Several minutes later Mrs. Morrison
served tea.</p>

<p>Although the boys were in bed and supposedly
asleep when their parents returned home at about
eleven, yet they were all very much awake. They
couldn’t question their parents that night, however,
as to the results of the meeting. They were
obliged to spend a wakeful night and wait until
morning to learn the results.</p>

<p>At precisely eight o’clock the next morning,
Wallace and William came downstairs for breakfast.
Wallace affected a reserved, calm attitude
while William was openly impatient and eager to
know the results. In the dining room, Mr. Carberry
was already at the table. He greeted the
boys with a cheerful good morning. Just then,
Mrs. Carberry came in from the kitchen. The
twins kissed their mother. Wallace sat down at
the table. William glanced from one parent to
another. “Well?” he queried.</p>

<p>The parents smiled and the boys knew that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[54]</a></span>
everything was all right. William shouted,
“Wow!” He threw his arms around his mother
and hugged her. Both boys then pressed their
father’s hand affectionately and insisted for the
details of the conference.</p>

<p>Similar scenes were enacted at the homes of all
the boys. Jack and Paul had decided, before they
came down for breakfast, that they would attempt
a carefree, noncommittal attitude and
would not inquire but wait until they were told the
news. Both boys sat down glumly at the table and
played with their food, insisting that they were
not hungry. But their appetites were quickly revived
when Mr. Stormways told them the story
of the meeting.</p>

<p>Bobolink, just as soon as his mother entered
his room bringing him his breakfast, inquired
anxiously, “What was decided last night,
mother?”</p>

<p>She smiled carelessly and answered, “Well, I
really don’t approve of the decision and I argued
against it, but&mdash;”</p>

<p>Bobolink’s face fell and he expected the worst.
But when she told him the truth, that the majority
of parents had voted to permit the boys to
use the money as they planned, he became so excited
that he almost overturned his breakfast tray.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[55]</a></span></p>

<p>At the Shipley home, the moment he woke up,
Bluff donned a bathrobe and raced downstairs to
ask his mother for the news. Nuthin’ was told the
news at the breakfast table and Ken’s father also
told his son the good news at breakfast.</p>

<p>About nine o’clock all the boys left together
for the airport to confer with Major McCarthy.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[56]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="pch">CHAPTER VII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Mystery</span></p>

<p>At the airport the boys had to wait a while
until Major McCarthy showed up. When they
told him their plans, he approved heartily and
assured them that he would try his best to get
them a good second hand airplane for the money
available. Then he also informed them that he
was leaving that same afternoon for New York
and expected to be away about a week. The boys
would therefore have to wait, until he returned,
for their flying instructions.</p>

<p>On their way back to town the boys decided
that in the meanwhile they could go camping for
a week. Someone mentioned that Bobolink would
be unable to come along and that therefore they
should postpone their camping trip. Paul then
called their attention to the fact that for the next
month or so they would be occupied at the airport;
in three weeks they had an agreement to
play a baseball game against the Ted Slavin team
and then a swimming match against the same
group. “Sure,” he said, “we won’t have another
opportunity to go camping until just before school
opens and we plan to do that anyhow.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[57]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack suggested, “Let’s put it up to Bobolink
and then do whatever he decides.”</p>

<p>They all agreed to the proposal. Bobolink,
when he heard of it, urged them to go. And they
decided to leave early the following morning.</p>

<p>The air was fresh and clear. The dew was still
on the ground. The sun shone brightly. Stanhope
was only now awakening out of its slumber and an
occasional car or truck that passed seemed to be
committing sacrilege against the peace and quiet
that hung like a mantle over the town.</p>

<p>Main and Chestnut Streets was the meeting
point upon which they had agreed. Paul, Jack and
Ken arrived almost simultaneously. They greeted
each other with a smile. They inhaled deeply the
fresh, invigorating air that set their blood dashing
through their veins. William and Wallace arrived
next and a minute later followed Nuthin’. They
conversed in whispers lest they disturb the hushed,
still air that hung everywhere about them. They
were aglow with the joy of life. They huddled
together, bubbling over with excitement and
anticipation.</p>

<p>Bluff, gasping for breath, came running up. All
there, Paul, the leader, gave the order to fall in
line. Then he called out, “Forward, march!”</p>

<p>They were on their way. They walked in double
file; each boy was dressed in his Scout uniform,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[58]</a></span>
with a knapsack on his back. As far as the end of
the town they marched in formation. Turning into
the road leading to Black Mountain, Paul gave
the order to break formation. They divided into
groups of twos and threes and walked along
briskly. Soon they broke into song and during
the next hour they sang every song they ever
knew.</p>

<p>At about eight-thirty they decided to stop for
breakfast. They picked a small clearing about a
mile and a half up the slope of the mountain.
Under the direction of Paul, enough wood was
soon collected to build a fire and Ken, the official
chef, set to work. It didn’t take long to prepare
the meal and soon they all sat around in a circle
and ate heartily, with gusto. After putting out
the fire and cleaning up their dishes, they decided
to rest there for about half an hour. The boys
stretched out on the ground and stared up at the
sky. Paul remarked casually, “This is the life, eh
fellows?”</p>

<p>Bluff agreed, saying, “N-n-nothing l-l-like it.”</p>

<p>William interrupted, calling out, “Is that so!
Just wait until we learn how to fly and have our
own ship, then we’ll be able to camp anywhere
within a radius of a thousand miles.”</p>

<p>Jack wanted to know, “What’s the matter with
camping on Black Mountain?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[59]</a></span></p>

<p>“Nothing at all,” answered William. “But just
think of it: being able to fly, being able to pilot
your own airplane and going anywhere your heart
desires; and think of it, you pick out your camping
ground as you fly along and looking down
from a height of 5000 feet, that tree over there
would look like a tiny household plant.”</p>

<p>Paul said, “Yes, there is something staggering
about it, a feeling of tremendous power when
you’re up in the air.” He sat up and yawned.
“However,” he added, “what we have to decide
right now is where are we going to camp?”</p>

<p>Ken spoke up, “Let’s return to where we
camped last year; it’s as good a spot as you can
find anywhere on the mountain.”</p>

<p>Bluff agreed, saying, “That s-suits me.”</p>

<p>Wallace suggested, “Why not go somewhere
else this year? I know a swell spot about three
miles south east.”</p>

<p>Jack asked, “How about it, Paul, you want to
try this new camping site Wallace suggests?”</p>

<p>Paul nodded. “It’s all right with me,” he said.</p>

<p>The boys resumed their hike. It took them
about four hours of steady walking with a few
short rest periods to reach their goal The clearing
was off the beaten track. A hundred feet away
was a precipice overhanging the tops of many
trees about a hundred feet below. There was a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[60]</a></span>
stream of fresh, cool water just behind the
clearing.</p>

<p>Tired, footsore, ravenously hungry, they immediately
set to and prepared a sumptuous meal
of chops and potatoes prepared over an open fire.
Later they pitched their tents and settled themselves
for a week’s stay. That night, at the camp
fire, the boys huddled close around the flaming
logs of wood. Jack and Wallace were sitting together,
about a yard or so away from the rest of
the group. Jack asked his companion, “How did
you happen to know of this place?”</p>

<p>Wallace hesitated. Finally he said, “Well,
there’s a story behind it, some sort of mystery
I never could make head or tail of.”</p>

<p>Jack perked up his ears. “What do you mean?”
he inquired in a low tone of voice. “You never
told us anything about it.”</p>

<p>The other boys were singing, and the echoes
resounded far out across the mountain. The two
whispered to each other. Wallace answered, “No,
I didn’t, but that’s only because the story doesn’t
seem to have any meaning and I didn’t want the
fellows to think I was trying to put over a tall
one on them.”</p>

<p>Jack became interested. Eagerly he asked, “Do
you mind telling me the story?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[61]</a></span></p>

<p>Wallace shook his head. “No, I don’t, but I
warn you&mdash;there’s no sense to it all.”</p>

<p>“Well, let’s hear it anyhow,” said Jack urging
his companion on.</p>

<p>Wallace twisted and turned and finally found
a comfortable sitting position. He began his story
by saying, “This camping ground is about three
miles south east of the camping ground we usually
go to. If you were particularly attentive, you
would have noticed as we came here that this
place is off the usual course followed by campers,
is a little difficult to find and yet it appears to
have been used frequently.”</p>

<p>Jack nodded, glanced at the fire and his companions,
permitted his eyes to wander about the
general extremities of the camp, then turned to
his story teller and said, “Yes, but how did you
come upon this camp site? Tell me that.”</p>

<p>Wallace betrayed a bit of uneasiness. He said,
“I’m coming to that. Last year, camping up
there”&mdash;he motioned with his hand&mdash;“I decided
one morning to take a walk through the woods.
There was no path, so I had to fight my way
through bushes, shrubbery and all sorts of entanglements,
until I came to a spot where the
bushes were beaten down, a couple of low
branches were broken off&mdash;there was every indication
that on that spot a struggle had taken place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[62]</a></span>
between two or more people. I examined the
ground very carefully for torn pieces of clothing
and such things, and walking straight ahead I
came upon the stream. Following the stream, I
came upon this camp site.”</p>

<p>Jack mumbled, “Hm! Nothing mysterious
about that.”</p>

<p>Wallace demanded, “What do you mean?”</p>

<p>Jack answered, “What I mean is, that there is
no evidence of any mystery or anything. The
whole thing seems to fall flat.”</p>

<p>“I told you that before,” said Wallace. “But
you haven’t heard all of it. I have told you only
the beginning.”</p>

<p>Jack felt foolish for having spoken out of turn
instead of listening to the rest of the story. He
squirmed in his seat and said, “I’m terribly sorry
for interrupting. Go on.”</p>

<p>Wallace had by now become enthusiastic and
he leaned closer to his companion. But just then,
William called out, “Hey, you two, no secrets.
Come on over and join us.”</p>

<p>A few of the other fellows cried, “Yes, come
on, join us!”</p>

<p>“If it’s a story you’re telling him, Wallace, tell
it to all of us.”</p>

<p>“Don’t be snobs. Join us.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[63]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack waved to them and replied, “He’s telling
me a ghost story without a ghost and no story to
it.”</p>

<p>The boys laughed. The two drew closer together
and Wallace continued. “Listen closely,”
he said, “can you hear the gurgling sound of the
stream?”</p>

<p>Jack listened closely and to his astonishment
he couldn’t hear the sound of running water. Yet
he was sure that the stream was less than ten
feet away from where he sat. He looked in the
direction of the stream but he didn’t see it. He
turned quickly to his companion and whispered,
“I don’t see it. Isn’t it supposed to be right
there?”</p>

<p>Wallace grinned. “Correct,” he remarked.
“But that’s another thing, one yard away from
the stream and you don’t see it any more. Notice
how cleverly, yet how naturally it is hidden.”</p>

<p>Jack nodded and looked around in amazement.
He crept up on his knees, then stood up and still
he couldn’t see the stream. He wanted to walk
over there and assure himself that the stream was
there but he was afraid of arousing suspicion. He
sat down again and Wallace continued. “One
more link in the chain,” he said. “About half a
mile down this side of the mountain, there is a
cave&mdash;a natural cave. I came upon it accidentally.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[64]</a></span></p>

<p>“Did you go inside?” queried Jack eagerly.</p>

<p>“I only took a peek inside. Then I heard a noise
or at least I thought I heard a noise and I jumped
away, thinking that I would hide behind some
shrubbery or something. But I never saw it again
because I couldn’t find it.”</p>

<p>“What do you mean?”</p>

<p>“Just what I said. I looked for it, I retraced
my steps as carefully as I knew how, but no cave.”</p>

<p>Both boys remained silent for a while. Jack
seemed to be lost in thought. Finally he asked,
“Is that the whole story?”</p>

<p>Wallace nodded. “Yes.”</p>

<p>Jack shook his head. “Doesn’t seem to make
sense.”</p>

<p>“That’s what I told you before,” insisted his
companion.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[65]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER VIII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">The Mystery Becomes Complicated</span></p>

<p>Jack and Wallace joined the other boys in their
singing. Later there circulated around the camp
fire a series of humorous anecdotes followed by
tall stories, each boy trying to improve upon the
previous tale. Nuthin’ was doing his best to hold
the attention of his listeners (and he was succeeding
fairly well) with a ghost story which he had
read in a magazine, but was relating as a personal
incident. Suddenly Paul, possessing the sharpest
ear among the group, wheeled around and listened
carefully. The noise that he thought he
heard stopped. Dropping on his stomach, he put
his ear to the ground. A couple of minutes later,
they could all hear various small noises, that
sounded like the breaking of twigs or rolling
stones set loose. Somebody was coming. Silent,
awaiting the arrival of whoever it was, they sat
hushed around the fire and stared expectantly at
the probable spot where he would emerge. Tense,
eager, every moment was an hour and the five or
six minutes they waited seemed like an age. Finally<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[66]</a></span>
a short, husky man, with a brutal face, emerged
out of the woods and stepped into the light. He
glanced from one boy to another. His facial features
were distorted by his smile. At last he spoke.
“Hello, fellows,” he said, his voice a bit raucous
and loud. “Did I scare you?”</p>

<p>Paul stood up. “Why, no,” he answered calmly,
“not at all. Won’t you join us?”</p>

<p>The man laughed with a gurgle in his throat.
“Sure,” he answered, “but only for a couple of
minutes. I have a shack a couple of miles yonder,”
and he pointed in the general westerly direction.
He joined the circle of boys around the fire.
“What are you fellows doing here?” he asked.</p>

<p>Paul answered for all of them. “We’re seven
Boy Scouts,” he said, “and we’re camping here
for a week.”</p>

<p>“A week!” he exclaimed. He mused and
stroked his chin. “Where are you boys from?” he
inquired further.</p>

<p>“Stanhope,” he was told.</p>

<p>“Stanhope! I go down there about once every
two weeks for supplies. But why do you boys
camp here? I can tell you of a far better place to
camp.”</p>

<p>“Where?” one of the boys asked him.</p>

<p>“About three miles northwest of here,” he
answered.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[67]</a></span></p>

<p>They all guessed at once that he was referring
to their old camping site. A couple of the boys
were on the verge of telling him that they knew
all about the place. But Jack spoke up first and
asked, “What sort of a place is it?”</p>

<p>“Oh, it’s a very good camp site,” he answered.
“There is a large clearing where you can play
ball or any other game, and a large stream where
you can go fishing and swimming.” he paused,
glanced from one boy to another, then added,
“Oh, it’s a far better camping site than this.”</p>

<p>“Where did you say this place was, sir?” asked
Paul, affecting ignorance.</p>

<p>“Almost directly northwest of here,” the man
replied with what seemed undue eagerness. “You
can’t miss it.”</p>

<p>All the boys nodded in unison, as though they
understood perfectly the directions he was giving
them. In silence they wondered why the man was
so anxious to have them move from their present
camping ground. He tried hard not to betray his
eagerness and anxiety, but he was a very poor
actor. Jack inquired, “Is there anything wrong
with this camping ground?”</p>

<p>The man scratched his head. “Well,” he answered,
“not very much but it isn’t anywhere near
as good as the one I’m telling you about. You
really ought to go over there and see it.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[68]</a></span></p>

<p>Wallace spoke up, saying, “I’m sure the gentleman
has the best of intentions and if he says that
the camping ground he’s telling us about is superior
to this one, it must be so. In that case, it would
be a shame not to take advantage of the information.
The first thing tomorrow morning I’m going
over there and take a look. If it is all the gentleman
says it is, we’re going to move.”</p>

<p>The man grinned, the curl of his lips betraying,
his deep self-satisfaction. “That boy is a smart
one,” he cried. “He’s got the right idea.” He
jumped to his feet. “Well, I’ll be going,” he announced.
“So long, fellows.”</p>

<p>“So long.”</p>

<p>He went in the direction he came from. The
boys held their breath and silently waited for fully
five minutes, until the man’s footsteps could no
longer be heard. Ken exploded. “Can you imagine
that?” he cried. “He said he was going the other
way and he walked back in the direction he came
from.”</p>

<p>Paul held up his hand and motioned for order.
“Hush, fellows,” he said. “We can discuss this
quietly. Trees and bushes have ears, you know.”</p>

<p>They huddled closely together and whispered
among themselves. Nuthin’ voiced the thought
that disturbed them all. “I wonder why he objects
to our camping here?” he asked.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[69]</a></span></p>

<p>William answered, “That’s something we all
would like to know.”</p>

<p>Bluff stuttered, “S-s-something m-must be up.”</p>

<p>With a wave of his hand, William dismissed
Bluff’s remark. “Anybody can guess that,” he
said. “But what is it about, that’s what we want to
know.” He turned to the other boys. “I’m
stumped, I admit it,” he told them. “Can anybody
guess?”</p>

<p>By the blank look on their faces he could tell
that all his companions were just as much in the
dark as he was. Jack whispered to Wallace, “You
think this has something to do with the story you
told me?”</p>

<p>Wallace shrugged his shoulders. “I’m at a loss.
I can’t imagine.”</p>

<p>Paul addressed them. “Fellows,” he said.
“There is something up, that we can all tell.
There must be a reason why he wants us to move
camp. But what the reason is and what it’s all
about, we can’t find out tonight. There’s nothing
we can do tonight anymore except go to sleep.
In the morning we will consider the whole thing
and see what we can do.”</p>

<p>The boys were nonplussed, neither agreeing nor
disagreeing with Paul. They were loathe, however,
to turn in just then. The incident had the
effect of keeping them wide awake and of arousing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[70]</a></span>
in them the curiosity to know what it was all
about. But it was evident that there was nothing
they could do that evening. So in spite of their
inclinations they all decided to go to sleep. But
just then Bluff spoke up and inspired a new argument.
“D-d-don’t you think that w-w-we ought
t-t-take turns k-k-keeping guard?” he asked.</p>

<p>“Keep guard!” exclaimed Nuthin’, “What are
you talking about?”</p>

<p>William jumped to Bluff’s defense. “Sure,” he
cried, “he’s got the right idea. We ought to keep
guard all night and watch out against any one
creeping up on us while we’re asleep.”</p>

<p>At other times the boys would have laughed at
the suggestion. But their thoughts were such
that the idea appealed to them and seemed
reasonable.</p>

<p>Paul objected. “Don’t be foolish,” he said.
“Who’ll creep up on us? Who’ll want to harm
us?”</p>

<p>William retorted hotly. “How should I know?
But you were a witness to what happened tonight.
You’ll admit that the stranger was eager to have
us move camp. There must be a reason for it.
And&mdash;”</p>

<p>“Yes,” interjected Wallace, “but does that imply
that he wants to harm us or attack us? I think<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[71]</a></span>
you’re permitting your imagination to run away
with you&mdash;like that time with the ghost.”</p>

<p>That remark broke the ice and the boys laughed
heartily, recalling the ghost incident. The boys
then dismissed all thoughts of danger and decided
to retire. It had been a big day for them and they
were very tired. They slept soundly all through
the night without awakening or being disturbed.</p>

<p>In the morning before breakfast, Jack took
Paul aside and the two carried on a hurried, whispered
conversation. They then called over Wallace
and the three withdrew for a serious conference.
After Wallace had told his story, Paul
asked, “Well, what’s your opinion of the whole
thing?”</p>

<p>Wallace said, “It’s my impression that there
is some connection between the incidents, but
what it is I don’t know.”</p>

<p>Jack nodded. “I’m somewhat of the same opinion,”
he commented.</p>

<p>“Let’s not try to solve the puzzle now,” remarked Paul.
“Are you two agreed that we ought
to move camp?”</p>

<p>A decisive yes was Jack’s answer and Wallace
approved, saying, “Same here.”</p>

<p>“In that case we’ll have to convince the other
fellows that we should move,” said Paul.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[72]</a></span></p>

<p>“Do you think we ought to tell them the rest of
the story?” inquired Wallace of his two friends.</p>

<p>Jack shook his head. “I don’t think it will help
any or serve any good purpose,” he asserted. “It
will only excite them.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” added Paul. “It’s a shame we have to
keep it a secret from them, but I think we’re justified.
My opinion is that we should convince them
somehow that we ought to move. In the meanwhile,
just as soon as you two can get away,
you’ll slip out quietly and explore the woods for
a couple of miles around and return in time for
lunch. We’ll break camp and move after lunch.”</p>

<p>As the boys were having breakfast and making
wild guesses to solve the mystery, a large airplane
appeared in the sky, circled at a very low
altitude directly over their camp and then flew
away again. The boys stopped eating and kept
their eyes glued to the machine. One of the boys
remarked, “Wonder who that is and what he
wants?”</p>

<p>Someone suggested, “Maybe it’s Major McCarthy
looking for us.”</p>

<p>“Don’t be silly,” was the snappy answer of
someone else.</p>

<p>Wallace noticed Jack writing something down
in his notebook. “What is it you’re writing?” he
asked.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[73]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack shrugged his shoulders. “The numbers on
the plane. It might come in handy sometime.”</p>

<p>The plane disappeared into the horizon and the
boys resumed their breakfast. For a while they
discussed whether the airplane appearing overhead
had any connection with the stranger of
the previous night. The arguments for and against
were about evenly divided. Then Paul opened the
discussion by remarking casually, “Well, fellows,
do you think we ought to break camp and move?”</p>

<p>William was the first to object. “What for?”
he wanted to know.</p>

<p>Wallace explained. “We all know,” he said,
“that the stranger who was here last night must
have good reason for wanting us to move away
from here. Whatever it may be, it is most advisable
for us to go away.”</p>

<p>“But this is a good camp site,” argued William,
“so why should we go away. Nobody is going to
harm us.”</p>

<p>“Last night you thought differently,” Jack reminded
him.</p>

<p>“All right, what I want to do is stick around
and see what happens,” he confessed.</p>

<p>“If you do that, you might regret it,” warned
Paul. A few of the boys gasped, and he hurried
to explain his statement. “What I mean,” he
added, “is that you don’t wait until your car is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[74]</a></span>
stolen before you lock the garage. I’m sure no
harm would come to us if we stayed here, but
why stay here and wait for someone to come and
kick us when we can avoid it?”</p>

<p>He spoke with a certain anxiety and he transmitted
it to the other boys, for they kept silent for
a while. Ken, however, sided with William and
he remarked, “Paul is perfectly logical and reasonable,
but I still don’t see why we should run away.
Nothing has happened to us and I imagine that
the stranger last night was some crank who has a
shack somewhere around here.”</p>

<p>William supported his friend’s argument.
“That’s right,” he said, “There’s no reason for
us to turn tail and run away.”</p>

<p>His twin brother explained, “It isn’t a matter
of turning tail or running away. An ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure. If we can prevent
any trouble, why shouldn’t we do it?”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ said, “Let’s stop arguing and take a
vote on it. Then we’ll see how the land lies.”</p>

<p>A vote was taken and the majority favored
the proposal that they break camp and move. On
Paul’s suggestion it was decided to break camp
after lunch.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[75]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER IX</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Clues</span></p>

<p>At a nod from Paul, Jack and Wallace soon
slipped away into the woods. When they were
a safe distance away, Jack called a halt to consider
carefully their first move. They had taken
the direction in which the stranger had gone.
Wallace proposed, “I think that the first thing
we can do is follow the stranger’s trail.”</p>

<p>Jack mused for some seconds. Finally he replied,
“I guess it wouldn’t hurt to do that, but
I don’t think it will be possible.”</p>

<p>“Why?”</p>

<p>“Because if the stranger had a good reason to
want us to move, and knowing that we’re Boy
Scouts and capable of following a trail, he
wouldn’t be so stupid as to leave a trail for us
to follow.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” agreed Wallace, “that’s very logical.
But what else can we do?”</p>

<p>“Nothing yet. For the present let’s see if we can
follow the trail.”</p>

<p>For about a quarter of a mile they had no difficulty
in following the trail. Soon they came to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[76]</a></span>
a rocky ledge and the trail disappeared. The boys
therefore decided to separate and examine the
ground within a radius of a hundred yards. Jack
was busily engaged looking for signs of a trail
when he heard a sharp whistle and he knew that
Wallace was calling him. Again the whistle broke
the silence of the mountain and he determined
the approximate spot where it was coming from.
He found Wallace sitting on a rock and waiting
for him. A short distance away were some footprints
that Wallace had come upon. They followed
the trail for about a hundred yards when
Jack called a halt. He got on his knees and examined
the footprint very carefully. Nodding his
head satisfactorily, he said, “I’m pretty sure it’s
the same footprint all right. Notice, however,
the direction the trail seems to follow.”</p>

<p>Both boys took out their compasses. “The trail
seems to be leading to our old camp site,” averred
Wallace.</p>

<p>“Correct,” pronounced Jack. “Therefore we’re
going to disregard it.”</p>

<p>“What should be our next move then?” inquired
Wallace.</p>

<p>“The cave,” replied Jack. “We ought to try
and locate the cave.”</p>

<p>They returned to the ledge and sat down to
determine their position. For that purpose they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[77]</a></span>
drew a map. A small circle indicated their camp
site; a wavering line, running northwest, and another
circle indicated their old camp site. Then
they put in the path they had followed and approximately
their position. “Now,” said Jack,
“according to your best knowledge, about where do
you think the cave should be situated?”</p>

<p>Wallace bent over the map and drew a double
line. “This,” he said, “is the stream, west of our
camp site. The cave, therefore, should be directly
south. In that case we have to return to camp
and&mdash;”</p>

<p>Jack interrupted. “No,” he said, “we won’t do
that. We’ll cut across.”</p>

<p>Wallace approved the plan. Rising, the boys
determined by compass the exact direction they
had to follow. The first thing they had to do was
to drop from the ledge about eight feet below.
After that, they were obliged to take a descending
route and at the same time cut across in the general
direction of the camp. Pretty soon they
reached a level plateau heavily wooded. Indian
file, one behind the other, they walked along
slowly and carefully. Suddenly they came upon a
large clearance, circular and with possibly a little
less than half a mile radius. Jack lay down on
his stomach and Wallace did likewise. Jack said,
“Quick, seeing this field, what’s the first thing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[78]</a></span>
that comes to your mind?” Wallace shook his
head. Jack added, “Remember the airplane circling
overhead this morning? Now put two and
two together.”</p>

<p>Wallace whistled. “An airport!” he exclaimed.</p>

<p>“Correct!”</p>

<p>For a while they continued lying on their
stomachs and carefully examined the field and the
outlying woods. Absolute silence reigned. Not a
sound, not a moving shadow, as far as they could
see or hear. Finally Wallace whispered, “What
now?”</p>

<p>The two boys rose and, single file, Jack leading,
they walked through the woods, keeping within
sight of the clearing but trying hard to keep
themselves hidden. Jack stepped on a twig and it
snapped, the sound echoing loud through the dead
silence of the woods. He stopped and the two
boys remained rooted to the spot for at least five
minutes. They continued. Every once in a while
they strained their ears to listen. Not a sound.
Wallace suggested they again approach the edge
of the clearing. Getting down on their hands and
knees they crept up to the very edge of the woods.
Lying on their stomachs, they let their eyes roam
all around the field. Suddenly Jack grasped Wallace
by the wrist. “Ouch!” he cried.</p>

<p>Jack cautioned him to be silent. “Sh!” he hissed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[79]</a></span>
and put a finger over his lips. Then he pointed.
Wallace shook his head; he saw nothing. Again
Jack pointed, but his friend still saw nothing.
“You remain here and keep your eyes wide open.
I’m going to creep out and get it.” He crept forward
on his stomach for about ten feet, then
crept back, dragging something along. Crouching
alongside his friend, he showed him the object
and whispered, “Rifle!”</p>

<p>Wallace nodded. “What’s your opinion?” he
asked.</p>

<p>His companion shook his head. “Don’t know,”
he whispered.</p>

<p>“Arms smugglers!” Wallace seriously suggested.</p>

<p>They examined the weapon. It was an old style
army rifle. Jack whispered, “You may be right
about ‘them’ being arms smugglers, but I have
my doubts. If you consider, you find that smuggled
arms can have only one destination&mdash;South
America. And we’re too far away from the Mexican
border.”</p>

<p>Wallace clutched his friend by the sleeve.
“That’s just it,” he answered eagerly. “Just because
we’re so far away from the Mexican border,
they have less chance of being caught or
suspected.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[80]</a></span></p>

<p>Jack mused. “Hm! you may be right. But what
do you think we ought to do now? Return to
camp or what?”</p>

<p>Simultaneously, both boys flattened out. Two
men emerged from the woods, no more than about
seven or eight feet in front of them. The boys
nudged each other. One of the men was the stranger.
The other man was saying, loud enough so
the boys could hear, “Okey, then, we’ll be here tomorrow
at the usual time. And make sure those
Boy Scouts are gone.”</p>

<p>The stranger answered, “Okey, Chief. But suppose
they don’t go, how am I to get rid of them?”</p>

<p>“Frighten them away, scare them, but don’t use
any violence,” the Chief answered.</p>

<p>The stranger saluted. “Okey, Chief, I’ll do just
as you say.”</p>

<p>They parted and the Chief walked across the
clearing while the stranger turned on his heel
and entered the woods again. The two boys lay
there flattened to the ground, not daring to
breathe, lest they give themselves away. They
watched the Chief cross the clearing and enter the
woods at the other end. Ten minutes elapsed before
they dared to utter a whisper. Jack said,
“The cave! Let’s try to locate it.”</p>

<p>“What about the rifle?”</p>

<p>“We’ll leave it here. We have no use for it.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[81]</a></span></p>

<p>They crept along noiselessly to the approximate
spot where the stranger entered the woods.
Using that as their starting point, they searched
everywhere but didn’t find a sign of the cave. Not
even the slightest clue. Finally Wallace suggested
that they return to camp and Jack agreed.</p>

<p>At camp, Jack and Wallace had not been
missed for a while. Paul kept a sharp eye on the
boys to see that they didn’t walk off. Soon Ken
suggested that they do something. William cried,
“Sure, let’s have a knot-tying contest. Get the
fellows together.”</p>

<p>When the boys assembled, it was evident that
two of the group were missing. Someone said,
“Hey, Jack and Wallace aren’t here.”</p>

<p>They all looked at each other in astonishment.
Paul remarked casually, “I saw them only about
a minute ago. They must have walked somewhere
and will surely come right back.”</p>

<p>Bluff offered a solution. “L-l-let’s have the c-c-contest
without t-them,” he proposed.</p>

<p>“That’s right,” seconded Paul. “If they’re not
here, it’s their hard luck.”</p>

<p>They proceeded with the contest. As time wore
on all the boys became strangely conscious of the
absence of the two boys. To dispel their fears,
Paul remarked, “They must have gone out reconnoitering.
They’ll surely be back soon.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[82]</a></span></p>

<p>As Jack and Wallace did not come back, the
boys began to harbor all sorts of fears. Each boy
made believe that he wasn’t at all worried. Time
hung heavy on their hands and the morning
seemed to stretch out into an eternity. Soon the
boys lost all interest in what they were doing and
just sat around doing nothing, keeping intensely
silent. When someone did dare to whisper, the
sound seemed to shatter the air and grate on their
nerves. Finally, as lunch time approached, William
jumped to his feet and cried, “Why are we
sitting here like dummies? A couple of us ought
to go out looking for them.”</p>

<p>Paul spoke calmly and with reserve. He said,
“It wouldn’t do to search for them now. To begin
with, we don’t know which way they went.
Secondly, they haven’t been missing such a terribly
long time. In all likelihood they’ll return to
camp soon.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” echoed Ken. “Let’s prepare lunch and
that will give us something to do and keep us
busy for a while.”</p>

<p>The only one who objected was William.
Words or arguments he felt were futile, so he
just gritted his teeth and helped prepare lunch.
When it was done, they waited a while and then
silently agreed to eat and leave some over for
the boys. Even Paul was becoming worried. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[83]</a></span>
distinctly told them not to be absent long. And it
was almost six hours now that they were gone. He
didn’t himself know what to do, whether to send a
searching party out for them or merely sit tight
and wait. Rising, he walked over to the stream for
a drink of water. And just then the three met face
to face. Paul was angry. “What kept you away so
long?” he demanded.</p>

<p>He felt relieved that at last they were back.
Jack quickly summarized their experiences. Then
he asked, “Did they miss us?”</p>

<p>“And how! There is only one thing to do now
and that’s to tell them everything.”</p>

<p>“We might as well,” agreed Wallace, and Jack
had no objection either.</p>

<p>The boys walked into the clearing. Nuthin’
was the first to notice them and he screamed,
“Hey, fellows, here they are!”</p>

<p>Instantaneously, Jack and Wallace were surrounded
and plied with questions. “Where have
you two been?” someone demanded.</p>

<p>“What’s the idea of disappearing without telling
us?” they were reproached.</p>

<p>William shook a threatening finger under his
brother’s nose. “You ever do that again,” he
warned, “and I’ll&mdash;I’ll spank you.”</p>

<p>The boys laughed. Paul said, “They’re hungry,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[84]</a></span>
fellows. Let them eat first and then we’ll make
them tell us all about it.”</p>

<p>Jack and Wallace had their lunch. The other
boys gathered around the two and Wallace told
the first part of the story. When he was through
talking, some of the boys shook their heads in
amazement. William exclaimed dolefully, “And
you never even mentioned it to us.”</p>

<p>Wallace was embarrassed. He replied modestly,
“There was nothing to tell. It might have
sounded fishy.”</p>

<p>Jack then appropriated the floor and narrated
their adventures of that morning. In conclusion, he
said, “You fellows now know all the facts. I must
impress upon you, however, the necessity of absolute
secrecy. To begin with, the wrong ears may
hear the story and then it will be too bad. Secondly,
there is not enough evidence to call in the
police. There is nothing we can prove. They would
say that we invented it all just to get a lot of
publicity. And that isn’t true, is it fellows?”</p>

<p>Ken contributed the remark, “If this thing is
ever solved, we’ll have to do it ourselves.”</p>

<p>They all agreed that that was right.</p>

<p>William inquired, “But isn’t there something
we can do now?”</p>

<p>Paul replied, “Yes, there is.” The boys were
all attention. “What we can do now,” he said, “is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[85]</a></span>
to break camp and move. We’ll postpone further
discussion until after we have pitched camp again
at the old site.”</p>

<p>The boys enjoyed heartily the dramatic manner
in which Paul had aroused their curiosity only
to tell them something which was routine. They
jumped to their feet and immediately got busy. By
sunset they had moved.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[86]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER X</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Flying Instructions</span></p>

<p>With the first ray of sunrise, Wallace was up.
He dressed himself hurriedly, donned a sweater
to keep warm, and then sat down on a rock to
watch the sky. He had a suspicion that something
would happen and that the incident would
occur in the air. He didn’t dare walk up and down
to keep himself warm because he feared that the
noise of his footsteps would awaken some of the
boys. So he quietly built a fire to keep himself
warm. After he had watched the sky for an hour
a plane appeared on the horizon. It flew nearer
and nearer, circled about where he thought the
mysterious airport was, then nosed down as if
to land, which it evidently did. Wallace became
terribly excited. His suspicions bore truth. And
now he didn’t know what to do. He paced up and
down several times, musing, thinking hard. His
first impulse was to go down there himself, but
he immediately discounted it.</p>

<p>He awakened Paul, who listened eagerly to his
story. Wallace reminded him of his suspicion
that a plane would land there in the early morning,
and that was what had happened. Paul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[87]</a></span>
dressed hurriedly. Leaving behind a note, the
two set off at a rapid pace. Just as they were about
to reach the wooded plateau, the drone of an airplane
motor was heard. They looked up, but the
sky was hidden by the branches of the trees.
When they at last reached the clearing, it was
empty and still. They spent about half an hour
searching the woods, but it was in vain. They returned
to camp and told their comrades. A lot
of discussion ensued and it was finally decided
that every day a detail of two boys should go
down there, to see what they could discover. But
it was all in vain. When the time came for them
to return to Stanhope, a week later, they had
discovered nothing new.</p>

<p>As the boys reached the outskirts of the
town, about six in the evening, they lined up and
marched down Main Street. On the very same
spot from which they departed, Paul sang out,
“Patrol, halt!” For several seconds they remained
at attention, with the eyes of many people
upon them. Then Paul snapped the command,
“Dismissed!” The boys broke formation and went
home.</p>

<p>The boys did not propose to lose any time in
beginning their flying instructions. They set a definite
time, therefore, for all of them to meet, to go
out to the airfield in a group. Paul was a few minutes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[88]</a></span>
late, having been detained by his mother who
took a long time impressing upon him the importance
of being careful. When he joined the group,
they were all very much excited and discussed
their future adventures in the air. Ken and Nuthin’
tried hard to appear just as excited as the
others, but it was an empty gesture. Paul, addressing
Ken, asked, “Anything wrong? You look
kind of green around the gills.”</p>

<p>Ken made a gesture of dismissal. He answered,
“Nothing. It really doesn’t matter.”</p>

<p>“But what is it?”</p>

<p>The boy confessed sadly, “My parents absolutely
refused to allow me to fly.”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ heard the statement and he felt glad.
Not that he was glad that Ken was unable to
learn to fly, but misery loves company. He said,
“You’re not alone, Ken. The same tragedy here.”
And he made a comical gesture of weeping.</p>

<p>Paul was disappointed. “Gee, that’s a shame.
I wonder if there is anything we can do about
it?”</p>

<p>Both boys shook their heads listlessly. Ken remarked,
“You know my dad. When he puts his
foot down it’s like the Rock of Gibraltar.”</p>

<p>“With me,” informed Nuthin’, “it’s my mother.
She actually wept, so my father wouldn’t give
me permission.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[89]</a></span></p>

<p>“It’s a shame,” repeated Paul. “At any rate,
you two can come along and watch us. You can
at least get all the ground work.”</p>

<p>The boys mounted their bicycles and were off.
At the airport, they were greeted by Major McCarthy.
“Hello, fellows,” he called.</p>

<p>“Hello, Major,” answered several.</p>

<p>“Did you have a good time while I was away?”</p>

<p>“Very good,” said Paul.</p>

<p>“And interesting,” informed William.</p>

<p>Jack spoke. “We went camping.”</p>

<p>“That should have been enjoyable and interesting,”
commented the major. Then he asked the
most pertinent question. “Are you ready for flying
instructions?”</p>

<p>The boys shouted lustily and eagerly, “Yes,
yes.”</p>

<p>“All of you have the permission of your
parents?”</p>

<p>Paul answered for the group. “All except two&mdash;Ken
Armstrong and Albert Cypher.”</p>

<p>“Hmm,” mused the major. “That’s too bad.”
He looked at the two unfortunate boys and they
appeared very ill at ease. To cheer them the
major said, “Well, not everyone can be a pilot.
Some of us have to do other work, quite naturally.
So we’ll make mechanics out of you. How about
it?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[90]</a></span></p>

<p>The boys smiled gratefully. “Thank you, sir,”
answered Ken. “I’d love nothing better.”</p>

<p>“That’s settled, then,” said McCarthy. “Now,
fellows, I have some good news for you. I’ve
made inquiries about obtaining a plane for you
boys and I have one definitely in mind. It’s a good
machine, in perfect order and perhaps in a week
or so it may be yours.”</p>

<p>“Yea!” shouted William and all the boys
joined in. The major held up his hand and motioned
for silence. “Cheering is all to the good,
fellows, but if you want flying instructions, we
have no time to lose.”</p>

<p>“Those are just our sentiments,” commented
Jack joyously.</p>

<p>“Now,” began the major, “I’m to spend about
an hour or so explaining in detail the major parts
of an airplane. I want to teach you to be not only
pilots but your own mechanics. If something
should happen to a plane you’re flying, I want
you to know how to go about repairing the motor
or anything else that may be wrong. For that
reason I want you to spend a lot of your spare
time fussing with an old plane, which is used
just for that purpose. It is situated in the corner
hangar.” He paused for several seconds, then continued.
“Now about flying instructions. I can’t
instruct more than one of you at a time and no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[91]</a></span>
more than two each day. So you’ll have to pair
off and you’ll all get a lesson every other three
days&mdash;that is, two lessons a week. Is that
understood?”</p>

<p>“Yes!” shouted the boys in unison.</p>

<p>“Very well, then, I’m going into the office for
a couple of minutes. In the meanwhile you can
pair off and also decide which pair will get their
instructions today, which tomorrow and the day
after.”</p>

<p>To pair off, the boys drew lots. Three sets of
small pieces of paper were prepared, the two
pieces of each set numbered one, two and three.
The two boys who drew number one were partners,
numbers two and three likewise. The number
one pair was to receive its flying instructions
that day, number two on the following day, and
number three the day after. As it turned out,
Paul and William were the number one pair, Jack
and Bobolink number two and Wallace and Bluff
number three. The drawing of lots was fair
enough and there were no murmurs of disapproval
or dissatisfaction.</p>

<p>When the major came out again, he showed
that he approved of what was done. In a group
he marched them over to the hangar which
housed the old plane and for about an hour he
lectured to them on the mechanics of an engine.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[92]</a></span>
When he was through, he sent them home for
lunch. Then he told the first pair, Paul and William,
to be back at the airport at three o’clock
for flying instructions.</p>

<p>As the boys were mounting their bikes, Jack
whispered to his chum, “Fall behind with me,
Paul, I have something to tell you.”</p>

<p>Paul nodded. Wheeling along about ten feet
behind the others, he asked, “What is it, Jack?”</p>

<p>“It’s this, Paul. This morning I happened to
glance through the <i>Dispatch</i> and I came across
a small article stating that last Wednesday it was
discovered that several hundred army rifles were
stolen from an armory in New York and that the
crime had most likely been committed within the
past twenty-four hours.”</p>

<p>“What about it?”</p>

<p>Jack pursed his lips, mused for a moment, then
said, “Remember, Paul, last Wednesday morning
was when Wallace saw that airplane land at that
mysterious airport.”</p>

<p>Paul cried, “By golly, that’s correct. Do you
really think that they are arms smugglers and
that this theft of army rifles has any connection
with that airplane landing at the mysterious
airport?”</p>

<p>“I don’t know,” answered Jack. “I’m wondering.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[93]</a></span>
But if you stop to consider, the parts seem
to fit the puzzle mighty well.”</p>

<p>“You’re right Jack. What do you think we
ought to do? Do you think we ought to take
Major McCarthy into our confidence?”</p>

<p>Shaking his head, he replied, “No, I don’t
think so. He might either tell it to the police and
we don’t have enough evidence for that; or he
might fly over there, land, and possibly complicate
everything.”</p>

<p>Again Paul agreed with his chum, adding,
“Yes, we have to follow it up slowly. Another
thing, we must learn how to fly darn quick because
if we want to get anything on them we have
to do it in their way&mdash;by air.”</p>

<p>“Correct,” said Paul. “For the present, we’ll
just let matters take their own course.”</p>

<p>All the boys saw fit that afternoon to be at the
airport. Only Paul and William were to go up
for flying instructions but the others wanted to
be there to see what it was like. At a little past
three, the major came out of the office and approached
the group of boys. The two boys stepped
forward and William informed him, “We’re
ready, major, if you are.”</p>

<p>Smiling, he said, “That’s fine. But now that
you’re all here, I’m going to tell you something
about flying.” All the boys gathered in front of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[94]</a></span>
him, forming a semi-circle. Very quietly and seriously
they listened to every word he said. “The
first thing I want to impress upon you, fellows,”
he began, “is that flying is not in the least dangerous,
providing, of course, you adhere strictly to
the rules and regulations of flying. Everything
has its rules which you must observe, flying is
not an exception. The most important rule in flying
is that you must never risk stalling your machine
near the ground. At no time must you lose
flying speed until you are at a safe altitude&mdash;approximately
five hundred feet above ground.</p>

<p>“Now suppose your engine cuts out as you are
taking off, then what you must do is to push the
nose down and go straight ahead, regardless of
what is in front of you. If you cannot avoid running
into a shed, or a tree, or any other obstacle,
while landing, it just can’t be helped. You will
smash the machine but you yourself will not be
hurt. Another rule to remember is, never turn
back in order to return to the airport or some
other good landing ground. When you do that you
risk stalling your machine. And when you stall
near the ground, you usually lose control of your
machine, go into a spin and crash nose first into
the ground. And that may be the last time you
will ever fly.”</p>

<p>“Those are a few elementary rules of flying.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[95]</a></span>
You’ll learn more as you go along. What you
must understand is that you must always obey
these rules, or take the consequences. I don’t
want to frighten you, but there are rules in every
game and you have to observe them.”</p>

<p>He stopped and scanned the faces of the boys.
From every indication, they had taken his words
seriously and were convinced by his authoritative
tone of voice. Nothing more to say, the major
now called upon his first two pupils and inquired,
“Are you ready?”</p>

<p>“Ready!” the two boys answered in unison and
precision.</p>

<p>“Which one is going up first?”</p>

<p>“We’ll have to choose,” answered Paul.</p>

<p>Major McCarthy took a coin out of his pocket
and tossed it into the air. “Heads,” cried
William.</p>

<p>“Tails,” cried Paul.</p>

<p>Heads it was and William was the first to go
up for instructions. “Very well,” announced the
major, “let’s go.”</p>

<p>The whole group followed the major and William
to one of the hangars. Two mechanics pushed
the training plane into the open. Again the major
turned to the group and said, “This is an Avro,
one of the finest training machines in the world.
She is light on the controls, very easy to handle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[96]</a></span>
and has an 80 h.p. Le Rhone engine. What kind
of an engine is it, anybody know?”</p>

<p>William answered at once, with confidence, “A
rotary engine.”</p>

<p>“Fine,” said the major. “And what kind of
engine is a rotary engine?”</p>

<p>All the boys seemed to know that and the major
was pleased by their knowledge. However, he
called upon William to answer the question. “A
rotary engine is one which has the cylinders rotate
round the crankshaft which remains stationary,”
answered William correctly.</p>

<p>“And what is another type of engine?”</p>

<p>“A stationary engine.”</p>

<p>“The crankshaft rotates round the cylinders.”</p>

<p>“Correct,” announced the major with a gleam
of satisfaction in his eyes. “I can see,” he added,
“that I’m going to enjoy teaching you boys. All
right William, put this hat on and get the ear
pieces in the right position; I’ll be talking to you
all the time. And before we start, remember this,
if I hit you on the back take your hands and feet
off the controls immediately and put your hands
above your head which will show me that you
have obeyed my signal. Okey?”</p>

<p>Wallace remarked, humorously, “Don’t hit
him too hard, major. I’d hate to take home a
corpse.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[97]</a></span></p>

<p>Major McCarthy withdrew to the shed telling
William to get into the front seat. When he had
climbed into the rear seat, he said, “Now William,
don’t touch the controls until I tell you to.
In the meanwhile you can watch them working
because both sets of controls are connected and
work simultaneously. Are you ready?”</p>

<p>“Yes, sir.”</p>

<p>The boys at the shed cheered lustily and William
waved his hand as Major McCarthy took
off. The machine rose lightly into the air and
was mounting fast into a clear sky, smoothly and
easily as a bird. William, was at first nervous and
tense, but soon he relaxed, his whole body seeming
to vibrate to the rhythm of the machine. Suddenly
he felt a light bump on the back and he
quickly threw his hands up into the air. The major
was rather surprised. Usually pupils during their
first lesson are too excited to remember the instructions
they have received. The major felt a glow
of satisfaction, and hoped that William would
respond to all instructions so quickly.</p>

<p>They were about two thousand feet in the air.
William felt a thrill when he heard his instructor’s
voice through the telephone. The major was
saying to him, “Okey, William, in a couple of minutes
I’m going to let you fly the machine and you
must obey precisely all my instructions. Put your<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[98]</a></span>
hand on the joystick and your feet on the rudder
bar.”</p>

<p>He complied. The next instant he felt a bump
on his back and quickly he put his hands above his
he had. McCarthy was delighted with the boy’s
quick response. “This boy,” he said to himself,
“is a natural born flyer.”</p>

<p>The major’s voice was coming over the telephone.
“Okey, William,” it said, “you’re going
to fly the machine now. Only obey instructions
precisely.”</p>

<p>McCarthy spoke gently and authoritatively.
William obeyed. The machine responded to his
slightest touch. William felt a certain power in
handling the machine and it thrilled him. The
major said, “Now when I give the command,
‘Right turn,’ you kick on the right rudder and
push the joystick over to the right. Ready? Now,
‘Right turn.’ Keep the same altitude.”</p>

<p>The major kept talking most of the time, explaining
every movement and demonstrating his
instructions. They practiced banking, climbing,
diving. This was no ordinary pupil, the major
thought. He was aware that the other boys would
not respond as well as William, with whom he
progressed much more than with the average
pupil. To satisfy himself for the last time, he permitted
William to fly alone for several minutes,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[99]</a></span>
then tapped the boy on the back. Instantly the
latter’s hands flew above his head. The major,
deeply satisfied, said, “That was very good, William.
I think you’ve had more than enough for the
first lesson, so we’ll go back now.” Thus saying,
he took control of the machine.</p>

<p>The boys cheered as the plane taxied to a
landing. As the instructor and his pupil climbed
out of the machine, the boys came running up.
“How did he do, major?” asked Wallace.</p>

<p>McCarthy smiled, very much pleased with his
first pupil. “He did very well,” he announced.</p>

<p>“Yea!” shouted Bobolink.</p>

<p>“Hooray for William!” shouted Ken and
Nuthin’.</p>

<p>When the boys quieted down again, the major
put his arm affectionately on William’s shoulder,
and said, “I don’t like to praise a pupil, because
he is apt to become cock-sure of himself. But this
time I can’t help praising him. William is a natural
born flyer. I don’t want any one of you to
feel badly if you’re not as good as he is because
there are very few who take to flying spontaneously.
I don’t want you to blame yourselves or
feel badly about it. It’s something that none of us
can help. We’re either born that way or not.”</p>

<p>Jack asked, “Did he fly by himself already?”</p>

<p>“He certainly did,” replied the major. “For<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[100]</a></span>
about fifteen minutes he flew the machine all by
himself.”</p>

<p>The boys cheered, proud of their friend. William
was thrilled, but tried not to show it.</p>

<p>It was Paul’s turn now. Instructor and pupil
took their respective places in the machine. Paul
was excited, tense. McCarthy was curious to know
how this boy would compare with William. He
repeated the directions for a second time. The
machine was climbing and they were gaining altitude.
Paul was thrilled as he examined the various
gadgets on the dashboard. Suddenly he felt a
bump on his back. He was bewildered. What had
happened. He turned around to see McCarthy
chuckling and enjoying the baffled look on his
face. The instructor said, “I told you to raise your
hands above your head as soon as I tap you on
the back. Keep alive.” Paul settled back in his
seat, feeling ashamed of himself. Suddenly he
again felt a tap on the back. Immediately he raised
his hands above his head. “Very good,” said McCarthy
encouragingly. Paul, too, would be a flyer,
but not like William.</p>

<p>Soon Paul was at the controls and flying the
machine in response to the instructor’s guidance.
After the necessary instructions, McCarthy called
out, “Ready? Left turn.”</p>

<p>Paul pushed out his left foot. The machine<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[101]</a></span>
whipped to the left at a terrific speed. Suddenly he
felt the stick being pushed over to the left. Then
the right rudder bar moved forward, the stick
came back to the right, now they were flying level
once again. McCarthy had to intervene to help
him out. He explained the mistake and Paul nodded,
intimating that he understood. He was eager
to do it over again, to show that he could do it.
But this time the command was, “Right turn.”
Paul got it all right.</p>

<p>After about thirty-five minutes of instructions,
they returned to the airport. They climbed out of
the machine and McCarthy inquired, “Well, how
did you like it?”</p>

<p>“It was fine,” answered Paul grinning, “except
that I think I was a trifle dumb in responding.”</p>

<p>“Oh, no, you weren’t,” McCarthy answered
him. “You were all right. For about ten minutes
you were flying all by yourself and I’m very
pleased with you.”</p>

<p>Walking toward the office building, the major
commented, “I see now that I’m going to enjoy
teaching you boys. From the way it looks, I should
say that all of you are someday going to be mighty
fine flyers.”</p>

<p>“How long before we can go solo?”</p>

<p>“It all depends. About eight or ten lessons is
the average.”</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[102]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XI</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Baseball Game</span></p>

<p>During the following weeks, the boys spent
the major part of their time at the airport. Most
of the boys were usually on hand when one of
them took off for a lesson. And if there was no
lesson, they spent their time dismantling the old
plane and putting it together again. Ken and
Nuthin’ became assistants to Fred, the chief mechanic.
These two boys imparted their technical
knowledge to their comrades.</p>

<p>As for McCarthy, he was happy and really enjoyed
instructing the boys, because all of them
responded so quickly to training. He taught them
everything he knew about flying and found that
William learned more easily than the others. McCarthy
taught them to land, to take off, to do a
few simple stunts. After four lessons, William was
ready to solo. But his instructor wouldn’t permit
him because McCarthy wanted them all to go up
solo the same day, making it in the form of a
graduation exercise.</p>

<p>In spite of their preoccupation in aviation, they
spent many half hours discussing the mysterious<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[103]</a></span>
airport and its consequences. Whatever evidence
they had, however, was circumstantial and insufficient.
And they couldn’t think of taking time out
to do anything about it. The boys had other obligations,
temporarily forgotten, which also had
to be considered.</p>

<p>One day Paul called the boys together. Most
of them were in overalls, their hands dirty with
grease and their faces smeared. Looking at each
other, they could not repress their smiles. Each
in his own way was rather a funny sight. Ken
laughed. “Hey, fellows, look at Bluff, will you?”</p>

<p>Bluff was wearing a pair of overalls that were
much too large for him and his face was smeared
with grease. “You’re n-no Ap-p-pollo yourself,”
he countered.</p>

<p>Wallace asked, “What is it you want to talk
to us about, Paul?”</p>

<p>“It’s this, fellows. We have been so busy the
last few weeks, what with getting flying instructions
and spending most of our time at the airport,
that we have completely forgotten our baseball
game with the Slavin team. We haven’t practiced
at all and the game is only three days away.”</p>

<p>“Perhaps we can call the game off,” remarked
William.</p>

<p>Several of the boys nodded in agreement, as
their interest in aviation was much stronger than<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[104]</a></span>
any thought of baseball just then. They were so
engrossed in their work that any excuse was sufficient
to try to break an agreement. Paul, however,
objected. He said, “I fully know that all of
us are more interested in our flying and all that,
but we can’t go back on our word. We promised
Ted Slavin and his team that we would play them
and we’ve got to keep our word.”</p>

<p>Ken reminded the boys, “We also promised
them a swimming match. That’s something we
ought to practice up for, too.”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ asked, “Well what do you think we
ought to do, Paul?”</p>

<p>“We have to keep our word and go through
with it,” was the answer. “Beginning tomorrow,
we have to keep away from the airport and spend
the next two days practicing.”</p>

<p>“What about those who have flying lessons?”
Bobolink wanted to know.</p>

<p>“Those who have lessons should not miss
them,” answered Paul. “But the rest of us will
have to keep away from the airport.”</p>

<p>The boys agreed. William said, “All right,
then. Tomorrow morning we’ll meet at the baseball
field for practice.”</p>

<p>Major McCarthy was glad to hear of their
plans for reasons of his own. He was a bit skeptical
of their sudden and overwhelming interest in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[105]</a></span>
aviation, because he feared that they might drop
it just as suddenly and completely. Spending only
limited periods of time at the airport, therefore,
would test them. Besides, the major was also of
the opinion that they were too young to have only
one dominating interest, it was healthier for them
to have a series of interests.</p>

<p>During the following two days, they spent
most of their time on the baseball field. And when
the day of the game arrived, they were in pretty
good shape. They had one worry, however. Wallace,
star pitcher for their team, had not come
around all morning. They sent William to find
out what had become of him.</p>

<p>As the time for the game approached, a fair
crowd of townspeople had filled the stands. The
Ted Slavin team with Ted as pitcher, was warming
up, and some of his followers were encouraging
him to demonstrate his famous slow ball. The
opposing team, however, was in great agitation.
William, out of breath, came running up. Paul
guessed that William had accomplished nothing.
Nevertheless he asked, “Well, any news?”</p>

<p>William gasped, “No. My mother said he left
for the airport in the morning and that he hasn’t
returned yet.”</p>

<p>“Did you call the airport?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[106]</a></span></p>

<p>“I did and Fred told me that he left hours
ago.”</p>

<p>Paul shook his head dejectedly. “Wonder what
could have happened to him?” he muttered.</p>

<p>The boys formed a circle around Paul. Someone
asked, “You think there is any chance of calling
the game off?”</p>

<p>“No. What for? Suppose we lose the game,
what difference would it make? We’ll play just
the same.” Most of the boys nodded in agreement.
Paul added, “All right, fellows, break it up.
Let’s not show that we’re handicapped and need
anyone’s pity. We’ll hold our own. Ken, are you
warming up? You’re going into the box to start
the game.”</p>

<p>Ken nodded. “Okey. I’m ready.”</p>

<p>Just then Major McCarthy came walking
across the field. The boys waved to him. Paul
greeted him. “Hello, major.”</p>

<p>“Hello, Paul. Came over to see the game.” Paul
took the major by the arm and led him to one
side.</p>

<p>“Wallace is missing,” he said. “He’s our star
pitcher; without him, we have no chance of winning.
But that’s beside the point. I’m worried
about him. You have no idea what happened to
him, do you?”</p>

<p>The major shook his head. “Why, no,” he answered.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[107]</a></span>
“I gave him a lesson and he left the airport
at about ten. He even asked me to come
and watch him pitch the game.”</p>

<p>“I can’t imagine what could have happened to
him. He’s nowhere to be found and nobody seems
to have seen him or heard from him.”</p>

<p>“I’m sorry to hear it. Is there anything I can
do?”</p>

<p>Paul shook his head. “Guess not. You can sit
on our bench though, and watch the game.”</p>

<p>“That’s swell. Thanks a lot.”</p>

<p>Just then the umpire came up, followed by Ted
Slavin. “Ready?” asked the umpire.</p>

<p>Paul nodded. “Yes.”</p>

<p>“For up,” announced the umpire as he tossed
a coin. The Slavin team was to go to bat first.
“Who’s your pitcher?” the umpire asked.</p>

<p>“Ken Armstrong.”</p>

<p>Ted raised his eyebrows in astonishment.
“Where’s Wallace?” he asked.</p>

<p>“He’ll be here in a short while. We’re saving
him.”</p>

<p>Ted shrugged his shoulders. “Good luck,” he
called as he walked away.</p>

<p>“Same to you,” countered Paul.</p>

<p>Paul signalled to the boys to take the field. The
umpire took his place in the pitcher’s box and
called, “Batter up!”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[108]</a></span></p>

<p>Paul was catching. He motioned to Ken to
meet him halfway. He said, “Don’t let them discourage
you. Let them hit; the boys out in the
field will back you up.”</p>

<p>They separated and returned to their respective
positions. As Ken poised, measuring up the
first batter, a wave of applause and loud cheering
went up from the stands. His team-mates encouraged
him. “Alright, Ken, give it to him.”</p>

<p>“Don’t be too hard on him, boy. Let him smell
it.”</p>

<p>“Sure. That guy’ll never see it.”</p>

<p>Paul signalled and Ken wound up. He took his
time pitching the first ball. The batter patted the
home plate with the bat as the umpire called,
“Strike one!”</p>

<p>“That’s the boy, show him your dust.”</p>

<p>“Pity the poor guy! He’ll die without moving
a leg.”</p>

<p>Ken wound up. He threw the ball. The batter
gripped his bat, swung it and ran toward first base.
Ken stuck his gloved hand out and pulled it in
again. Everybody looked for the ball but nobody
saw where it went. The umpire called, “Out!”
Then Ken took the ball between his fingers and
held it up for public inspection. A wave of laughter
rolled slowly across the field. The hit had been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[109]</a></span>
a fast level one and Ken had snapped it out of
the air so quickly that no one saw it.</p>

<p>The second batter was at the plate. Ken
poised; without winding up, he pitched. The batter
swung. It was a pop fly. Ken ran forward several
feet, caught the ball and threw it to Bluff at
first base. The ball then travelled to Bobolink at
third, to William at second and back to Ken.</p>

<p>The third batter was up. Ken took his time
measuring up the fellow. The batter stood at ease
as the ball bounced with a plop into the catcher’s
mitt. The umpire called, “Strike one.” Paul signalled
and Ken threw the ball. The batter gripped
his stick, but at the last moment he shook his head
and let it pass. “Ball one!” called the umpire. The
third ball came sailing down the line, fast, an inside
curve. The batter stepped back and swung.
The ball sailed away far out in left field. Nuthin’
saw the ball coming; he walked back several steps,
waited for the ball to drop into his glove, then
threw it to William at second.</p>

<p>The boys threw their gloves into the air as they
ran in from the field. “That’s the boy, Ken!” they
called, “that’s showing them.”</p>

<p>Ted Slavin was pitching for his team. He was
a good man. Several semi-pro teams were out to
sign him up but he held out. He was now in good
form and he struck out the first batter in three<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[110]</a></span>
pitched balls. The second batter made an attempt
to hit the ball but he merely scraped it and the
ball went up into the air and was caught by the
catcher. The third man also struck out.</p>

<p>In the second inning, the Slavin team sent a
man to first and third but they died on base. Paul
started off for his team with a double but he died
on third. During the next inning, the boys were
kept on their toes backing up Ken. A grounder to
the shortstop precipitated a double play to second
and first. Ted, on the other hand struck out his
three batters in quick succession.</p>

<p>The fourth inning began with the Slavin team
set to send in a couple of runs. The first man up
bunted and landed safely at first. The second batter
placed a swift grounder between the pitcher
and first base. Bluff went after it and threw the
ball to second. William tried hard to get it but it
was far over his head. The spectators were on
their feet, yelling themselves hoarse. William
dashed after the ball and threw it, but the runner
was already safe on third. Ken got the ball. He
looked at the men on second and third. Bobolink
called, “Don’t worry, Ken, they’ll die on base.”</p>

<p>Someone else called encouragingly, “Come on,
fellow, show them your speed.”</p>

<p>“Strike him out!”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[111]</a></span></p>

<p>Ken poised then pitched the ball. The batter
swung and missed. The next ball was a strike.
The batter gripped his bat and swung as the ball
came hurtling through the air. Bobolink took several
steps forward and very easily gathered in the
ball.</p>

<p>Two men out and men on second and third.
Paul signalled to Ken and the two met midway
between home plate and the pitcher’s box. Ken
inquired anxiously, “Well?”</p>

<p>Paul answered, “Nothing in particular. Just
thought I’d give you a minute to relax. Don’t
worry if they hit you; it can’t be helped. You’ve
been doing swell so far.”</p>

<p>The pitcher nodded. “Okey. Thanks.”</p>

<p>Each walked back to his respective position.
Ken poised, ready to pitch. Paul signalled and
the pitcher hurled the ball. The batter looked unconcerned,
but suddenly he tightened his grip on
the bat and swung. Crack! The sound was like a
pistol shot. The ball sailed high and far out into
left field. Nuthin’ ran far back and as the ball began
to drop out of the air, he jumped. The crowd
was on its feet, hushed, its eyes glued to the ball.
The men on base were running toward home
plate; the batter was already at second. Suddenly
the crowd gasped sounding like a wave breaking.
Nuthin’ had missed the ball by inches. He scampered<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[112]</a></span>
after it and threw it wildly to second. William
ran for it but it was too wide. The spectators
were shouting madly; the Slavin team were dancing
wildly as the man crossed home plate safely.</p>

<p>The din and noise still sounded in his ears as
Ken poised to pitch again. He turned around to
see if every player was in his place. But it was
totally unnecessary. He struck the batter out and
that ended the spectacle. Coming in from the
field, the players managed to smile, joke and even
laugh. They slapped Ken on the back and told
him not to worry. It was their chance now and
they would more than get even.</p>

<p>The boys went to bat gripped with determination
to send in some runs but their enthusiasm was
destroyed by Ted’s mastery in the box. He teased
the first batter with two balls and then struck him
out. When the second walked up to the plate, Ted
repeated his performance. The spectators cheered
and his team-mates encouraged him. Bobolink
held his bat lightly and walked slowly to the plate.
The boys encouraged him. “Come on, Bobolink,”
someone shouted, “sock the old pill.”</p>

<p>“Hit it a mile, boy!”</p>

<p>“Sock it, kid!”</p>

<p>Bobolink gripped the bat compressed his lips
and waited for the ball. Ted thought he again
would repeat his former performance of teasing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[113]</a></span>
the batter. He put over a fast ball, cutting the inside
edges of the plate. Bobolink stepped back
and swung. The spectators jumped to their feet,
watching the ball sail through the air, while they
held their breaths. Bobolink was notably a hard
hitter. Suddenly a shout rumbled across the field.
People cheered; others muttered their disgust.
The player in left field knew the batter’s ability to
hit and had moved far back. As the ball came sailing
out, he was obliged to run further back, suddenly
he realized that the ball would come down
further on his right; the next second he lunged
forward with extended arm, caught the ball barehanded
and held on to it as he nearly tripped over
himself. The inning was over and the players
came in from the field.</p>

<p>Ken walked to the pitcher’s box and Paul took
his place behind the home plate. An agitation
rolled slowly through the stands. Play for play,
Ken and his players far outshone the other team.
True enough, Ted was doing some mighty fine
pitching, but except for the single catch, his team
wandered about idle at their posts. The other
team, however, was of unequalled showmanship.
Dramatically they pulled the ball out of the air,
off the ground, staged a double-play that took
people’s wind away. If only Wallace was in the
box! Some murmurs began to circulate. “Wallace!<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[114]</a></span>
Where’s Wallace!” But he was nowhere to
be seen. The umpire called, “Batter up!”</p>

<p>Ken was piqued by all the muttering and mumbling
around him. The effect upon him was surprising;
it steeled him. He relaxed. Absolutely confident,
he pitched superbly. Three men up, three
men out. Not one of them even so much as swung
a bat. They were so bewildered by the pitcher’s
fury that they barely saw the ball whizz by them
and before they realized it, they heard the plop
of the ball in the catcher’s mitt.</p>

<p>Again the young aviators were at bat. The
team determined to break the spell and send in a
couple of runs. The first batter bunted and
landed safely at first. Ted evidently sensed the determination
of his opponents, for he became ill at
ease. To relax, he summoned the catcher and they
met midway; for several seconds they whispered
to each other, then returned to their respective
positions. The batter waited patiently for the
pitcher to get going. Somebody in the stand
shouted, “Hit it, boy, sock it!”</p>

<p>“Sock it a mile!” someone else screamed.</p>

<p>Ted poised. He put all his strength into the
ball as he hurled it. The batter didn’t move a
muscle. “Ball one!” called the umpire.</p>

<p>“Put it over!” someone shouted.</p>

<p>“Play ball!” shouted another.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[115]</a></span></p>

<p>Again Ted put all his strength into the ball.
The batter gritted his teeth. Crack! The hit was
a straight and low one, directly between the shortstop
and third basemen. Both players went for it,
collided as they tried to pick it off the ground.
The batter went to first and the man on first went
safely to second.</p>

<p>Ted was unnerved. “You have his mark!”
someone in the stands shouted.</p>

<p>“Hit it, hit it!” was the cry of someone else.</p>

<p>Ted spit on the ball. Out of the corner of his
eye he could see the man on first draw away from
the base. Like a flash he wheeled and threw the
ball. The first baseman lunged wildly for the ball
but he missed by at least a foot. Shouts, cheers,
groans rolled through the stands. Jack, coaching,
at first, danced wildly and screamed, “Run, run!”
Each man advanced a base.</p>

<p>Ken was up. He felt that now was the time to
even the score. He had to do something. With a
man on second and third, no outs, now was their
chance. But Ted rallied sufficiently to strike the
batter out. Once more Ted became confident and
self-assured. There was no danger, he thought; he
will strike the next two men out and show his
mettle. But his confidence deceived him. The batter
picked the first ball and hit a long fly which
was caught, but which helped the man on third to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[116]</a></span>
come home and the man on second to advance to
third base. Ted was now sufficiently unnerved to
realize it himself. He signalled to a player on the
sidelines; he waited until the relief pitcher began
to come across the field, then started to walk off
himself.</p>

<p>“Yea!” shouted a spectator.</p>

<p>“Knock this guy out of the box, too,” another
spectator screamed.</p>

<p>“Swell showman,” said Paul.</p>

<p>“You said it,” agreed Jack. “He knows when
to quit and that’s to his credit.”</p>

<p>The relief pitcher warmed up with a couple of
throws. Finally the umpire called, “Batter up!”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ touched the home plate with his bat,
held up the stick vertically for a fraction of a
second, as a signal to the man on base, and then
waited for the pitcher. The man in the box was
perfectly confident and took his time. It was a
trick to vex the batter and force him to strike, but
Nuthin’ was a patient fellow and he waited. The
first ball came over, at least a foot outside the
plate. “Ball one!” called the umpire. The catcher
threw back the ball and Nuthin’ let fall the bat off
his shoulder. The pitcher eyed the man on third
base; then turned to the batter. Nuthin’ gripped
the bat. Shifting his position slightly, he struck at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[117]</a></span>
the ball. It was a foul, a couple of yards off third
base. “That’s the boy!” someone shouted.</p>

<p>“You got his number!” was another encouraging
phrase hurled by someone in the stands.</p>

<p>His team-mates encouraged him. “Hit it, Nuthin’.
Just sock it once,” Bobolink urged.</p>

<p>The pitcher was not to be dissuaded from his
easy going manner. And similarly Nuthin’ was
not to be vexed; he was willing to wait, though he
realized how much depended upon him. If he
managed at least to send home the man on base,
his team would be sufficiently encouraged to possibly
even the score; if he was struck out, on the
other hand, they might not get a similar chance
again for the rest of the game. But all that didn’t
confuse him. The next ball was wide and he didn’t
move a muscle. The umpire called “Ball two!”
The next ball he lunged at, and again fouled.
“Strike two!” called the umpire.</p>

<p>The spectators in the stands sat hushed, waiting
and watching. His team-mates hoped for the
best, but they, too, remained silent. The pitcher
hurled the ball. Nuthin’ watched it coming and
thought it would be too wide; the next instant he
realized his mistake; the ball curved and cut the
edge of the plate. “Strike three and out!” called
the umpire.</p>

<p>The score was 3-1, in favor of the Slavin team.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[118]</a></span>
And so it remained for awhile. The game now became
quieter and more steady; no dramatics. Ted
returned to the box and resumed his old form;
he didn’t give out a single hit. Similarly with Ken
who was the sort of person who, the more he
was pushed to the wall and the greater the odds
against him, the surer he was of himself. He held
his opponents down to two bits and both men died
on base.</p>

<p>The beginning of the seventh inning revealed
that both teams still had plenty of fight in them
and were out to make this a most exciting and
dramatic game. The first batter of the Slavin
team poised at the plate, swung at the first ball
that came along and hit a fast, low-flying ball that
shot past like a bullet about three feet above
Ken’s head. William, at second, lifted himself off
the ground and pulled the ball out of the air. It
all happened so quickly and suddenly that the
spectators were left with their mouths open, so
bewildered were they. They revived soon enough,
however, to cheer William for his perfect, most
beautiful catch.</p>

<p>Ken struck out the second batter in short order
but the next man sent the ball whistling across
the ground toward third, base. Bobolink scooped
it off the ground and hurled it across the diamond
to Bluff. The latter, however, had to step back a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[119]</a></span>
couple of feet to catch the ball and the runner
safely crossed first base.</p>

<p>With a man on base, the Slavin team thought
they had Ken where they wanted him. Although
his team had a safe lead of two points, Ted
wanted to increase his score still more. The next
man at bat succeeded in getting hit by the ball
and the umpire sent him to first, thus pushing
the other man over to second. Paul signalled his
friend to forget the men on base and to pitch
ball. Ken nodded. He sent over a fast one that
burned the plate in half. The umpire called,
“Strike one!” And his team-mates cheered him.
The next one was a ball, followed by a slow one
which the batter lifted far out into right field.
The spectators were lifted out of their seats,
their eyes glued to the ball. The fielder ran back
a few yards and dug his shoes into the ground
directly under the ball which flopped right into
his glove. A shout went up from the stands and
his team-mates threw their gloves into the air as
they ran off the field.</p>

<p>Bluff was at bat. He was anxious to hit and he
waited for his favorite ball&mdash;one that was low
and cut the edge of the plate. But Ted knew his
weakness and Bluff waited in vain; he was struck
out. William, raging mad, came up to the plate.
He vowed to hit a homer or die in the attempt.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[120]</a></span>
His mates cheered him and several voices in the
stands urged him on. Ted put all he had into the
ball and sent it whistling through the air; William
set himself as though he were going to take,
then shook his head sadly and let the ball cut
the plate. Ted imagined he had the batter fooled
and he again sent a fast one over. But it was just
what William wanted and he smashed a swift
grounder between the pitcher and the shortstop.
Ted saw it was useless for him to go for it, so he
watched the shortstop lunge for it, but in vain.
The ball skimmed past several inches beyond his
fingers. The man at second ran out to stop the
ball, picked it off the ground and poised to throw
it but no one covered second. He ran for the plate.
William dived and grasped the base with his
fingers. The umpire called loud and clear, “Safe!”</p>

<p>Bobolink was the next man up. Paul patted
him on the back and said, “It’s up to you now,
fellow. Don’t disappoint the crowd.”</p>

<p>Bobolink gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Some spectators screamed madly, “Come on, Bob,
kill it, sock it.”</p>

<p>Ted looked around and waited until all his men
were in position. Ready to pitch, he seemed unconcerned
with the man on second. He shot over
a fast one, the catcher grabbed it and got into
position to throw; he hesitated, waiting for William<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[121]</a></span>
to make a move for third base; but he was
disappointed and reluctantly returned the ball to
Ted. Again the pitcher made a mistake, throwing
a ball he thought the batter would let pass. Bobolink,
however, gripped his bat and hit far out into
left field. William had his foot on the bag and
waited. The fielder ran in for the ball; confident
that the catch was his, he waited for the fly to
drop into his glove. It did. Suddenly a deep, cry
went up from the stands. The man had muffed
and the ball fell to the ground. He lunged for it
and threw it to second. William was already on his
way to try home plate. The man at second wheeled
swiftly around and shot the ball home. William
measured his size on the ground; he touched the
base a fraction of a second before the catcher
tagged him. And Bobolink was safe on second.</p>

<p>The score now stood 3-2, in favor of the Slavin
team. Paul shouted joyfully, “Now is our chance;
we’ll even the score yet.”</p>

<p>His enthusiasm, however, got the better of him,
for his prophecy did not come true. Ted made
short work of the next batter and the seventh
inning was ended with the score still in favor of
the Slavin team.</p>

<p>Nothing happened during the eighth inning.
Beginning the ninth, Ted and his players determined
to widen the margin. But all their efforts<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[122]</a></span>
were futile because Ken held them to one hit, a
single, and the man went no further than second.
Their last chance to even the score or win the game,
the young aviators were cheered and encouraged
by many spectators. Ted and his players were dead
set against a single run. The game was theirs, they
felt, and they wouldn’t let it slip away from them.</p>

<p>The first batter up struck at the ball twice and
fouled both times. Ted pitched again and the
batter was struck out. Jack was up next and he hit
a beautiful grounder to the shortstop. The umpire
declared him out. Two out. The game now depended
on the last man at bat. Some people in
the stands rose and left. Paul stepped up to the
plate. Ted poised, then sent the ball whistling
through the air. Paul let it pass and the umpire
called out, “Strike one!” Again Ted sent a scorching
one across the plate and again the umpire
called it a strike. Hit or miss, Paul had to do
something. He held the bat lightly but gripped it
as the ball came sailing through the air. He struck
at it&mdash;and missed. The game was over. The score
was 3-2 in favor of the Slavin team.</p>

<p>The losers gathered in a circle and cheered the
victors. The winning team gathered around Ted
and cheered the losers. The spectators cheered
both teams. It was a dramatic and exciting game,
well worth winning&mdash;and losing.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[123]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">What Happened to Wallace</span></p>

<p>Ted Slavin came over and shook hands with
Paul. Smiling, he said, “Too bad we had to beat
you, but someone had to win, Paul.”</p>

<p>“You deserve it; you played a fine game.”</p>

<p>“I can say the same for you. Ken pitched a
marvelously good game. But what puzzles me is
what happened to Wallace?”</p>

<p>Paul cast his eyes down. “That’s something
that is puzzling us too, Ted.”</p>

<p>“What do you mean?” Ted looked concerned.
“Did anything happen to him?”</p>

<p>“I hope not but we don’t know.”</p>

<p>“Gee, that’s too bad. Is there anything I can
do to help?”</p>

<p>Paul shook his head. “I don’t think so. But if
there is, I’ll call on you.”</p>

<p>“Be sure you do. If there is anything the boys
and I can do, Paul, and you don’t let us know, I’ll
be terribly angry.”</p>

<p>“Thanks. It’s mighty nice of you.”</p>

<p>“That’s perfectly okey. And don’t forget we
have a swimming match scheduled for a week
from today.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[124]</a></span></p>

<p>“Sure, I know.”</p>

<p>The boys shook hands and parted. Paul walked
over to the bench where his team-mates were. The
boys surrounded him, looking for guidance. William
posed the question that bothered them all.
“What are we going to do about Wallace, Paul?”</p>

<p>“I really don’t know. There’s nothing we can
do right now, I guess.”</p>

<p>Jack spoke up. “I suggest that we all go home,
wash up and have supper. In the meanwhile we’ll
relax and be able to think clearly. Let’s all try and
imagine what <i>may</i> have happened to him. At seven
o’clock we’ll all meet again and try to formulate
some plan of action.”</p>

<p>“Yes, but what am I going to tell my mother
if she asks me about Wallace?”</p>

<p>Everyone was silent, not knowing what to say.
They were all pretty well downcast. Jack again
spoke up, saying, “Tell her he’s staying for supper
at my home.” A pause. Silence. Every mind
with the same thought. He added. “It’s not the
truth but you’re justified. I’m sure he’ll turn up
very soon.”</p>

<p>The boys stirred in their tracks. There was
nothing more to say and they all walked off the
field.</p>

<p>But what had happened to Wallace? Let us go
over the day’s events and find out.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[125]</a></span></p>

<p>Wallace completed his flying lesson at about
nine-thirty. He mounted his bicycle and quickly
left the airport, eager to return to town to be with
the boys who depended upon him to pitch in the
game. He peddled along steadily. Just as he was
about to enter the outskirts of the town, he heard
a hissing sound. Jumping off his wheel, he discovered
that his rear tire was fast going flat.
There was nothing to do but walk and push his
bike along. Less than a quarter of a mile further
on, he came to Jim’s filling station and he decided
that he might as well patch his tire right then
and there. He found Jim busy greasing a car.
“Hello, there,” he called out, “how’re the young
aviators getting along?”</p>

<p>“Fine, Jim. Do you mind if I use your shop to
patch a hole in my tire?”</p>

<p>“Not at all. Help yourself.”</p>

<p>“Thanks, Jim.”</p>

<p>Wallace walked into the shop. He knew where
to find the materials and tools he needed. Losing
no time, he set himself to his job. It didn’t take
him long. Then in about ten minutes, as he was
coming out of the shop, he stopped dead in his
tracks. He was just inside the doorway and he
saw Jim gassing a Ford roadster. But it was the
man at the wheel that caused him to freeze in his
tracks. It was the stranger&mdash;the man who had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[126]</a></span>
tried to convince them to move camp up in the
mountains. Wallace for the moment forgot all
about the baseball game and thought only of how
he could follow the man. He quickly stored the
bicycle away in a corner where it wouldn’t be
noticed, then he entered the office through the
shop and emerged by the opposite door which
placed him in a strategic position behind the wall.
Wallace heard the grind of the gears as the
driver started off. As the car passed him, he
sprang forth and jumped onto the bumper in back
of the car, holding tightly to the spare tire.</p>

<p>Wallace wondered where the driver was heading,
when suddenly the car made a right turn and
Wallace realized that this was the road to the
mountain. For some seconds he was worried as
well as mystified. If the driver was going up to the
mountain, there was no telling when he would return
and Wallace became afraid that he might
miss the game. On the other hand, his curiosity
was aroused, for he knew that the road ran for
about five miles to the foot of the mountain and
then it became a foot path. How then could he
go all the way up in the car? The only alternative
was to wait and see.</p>

<p>Wallace hung on for dear life. At approximately
a quarter of a mile before the end of the
road, there was a farm house. As far as he knew,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[127]</a></span>
no one lived there. Yet a driveway, which appeared
to be in constant use, led off the road and
was kept closed by a double-door gate. The car
turned off the road into this driveway without
stopping and the automobile pushed the doors
apart. The doors of the gate were on swinging
hinges, and swung back again into place as soon as
the automobile passed. In the meanwhile the car
proceeded to the back of the house. Wallace feared
that he might be discovered, yet there was nothing
he could think of doing, should he be noticed.
To his relief, however, the car kept moving beyond
the house, passed between two large elm
trees and then came out on a one lane dirt road.
Looking back, Wallace saw that the dirt road was
entirely hidden by trees and could not be seen
from the main road. He marveled at the deception
and cleverness of the gang of arms smugglers&mdash;for
by now he was convinced that they
were arms smugglers&mdash;and wondered whether it
was worth it for them to go such lengths of deception.
But the fact that they did, showed that
they must have considered it worth the trouble
and expense.</p>

<p>In the meanwhile, the car rode along, the
wheels sinking into holes and bouncing over rocks.
More than one time Wallace was nearly thrown,
but he managed to hold on. On either side of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[128]</a></span>
dirt road were the woods. The road turned and
twisted in many directions but always headed
toward where he was sure the cave was situated.
Judging by the speed and the time, the car had
gone about ten miles beyond the main road. The
driver stopped suddenly, leaving the car in the
middle of the road. In the next instant the
stranger was out of the car and at once entered
the woods. His heart palpitating, Wallace hid behind
the car and waited. He was anxious not to
lose his man but he was still more anxious not to
be caught. Who knows what they might do to him
if they ever laid hands on him! Arms smugglers
were obliged by necessity to be tough, hard men
and would have no mercy on anyone who might
give them away. Wallace shuddered as these
thoughts flew through his mind. Yet he was undaunted
and would not turn back.</p>

<p>When several minutes had elapsed, and he
thought it was time, Wallace crept out from behind
the car and darted into the woods, following
the trail of the stranger. He had no difficulty
following him. Several times he even caught a
glimpse of the man’s form. Finally the trail led
him to the edge of the woods&mdash;to the mysterious
airport. Hesitating for several seconds and trying
to think fast what to do next, he watched the man
walk diagonally across the clearing, heading directly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[129]</a></span>
for the spot where he and Jack had overheard
the stranger and the chief. Wallace decided
that he had only one alternative: to make his way
along the edge of the woods and get there in time
enough not to lose his prey. Wallace sprinted,
running lightly and noiselessly. At the same time
he tried to keep the stranger in sight. It wasn’t
easy because his vision was usually obstructed by
the trees and low hanging branches. Also, he had
to watch carefully where he was running. Suddenly
the sound as of a pistol shot echoed through the
stillness of the woods. Wallace dived and hid behind
a clump of bushes. Finally he realized that
it was only the sound of a twig which broke as he
stepped on it.</p>

<p>Breathless, Wallace waited for the echo to
subside and for the stillness of the woods again.
At last when he thought it was safe to creep out
of his hiding, he crawled over to the edge of the
clearing. He looked, but the stranger had already
disappeared. Terribly disappointed, Wallace lay
there watching, waiting. Finally he decided to
approach the spot where the stranger had most
likely entered the woods. Trying to move along
noiselessly, Wallace came to the very spot where
he and Jack had lain hiding. He found the rifle
just where they dropped it. Moving on a little
further, he came upon a footprint that pointed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[130]</a></span>
directly at a clump of foliage. He examined it
very carefully. Putting his arm out, he tried to
move a small bush but found that it was attached
to what seemed a board. His heart beat wildly
and he became numb with excitement. Looking
further he found several boards attached together
into a sort of door, to which were attached many
pieces of foliage that entirely hid it. Moving his
fingers to its very edge, he could tell that the door
swung away from the entrance of the cave against
which it rested. He felt like jumping into the air
and screaming, “Eureka, I’ve found it!”</p>

<p>Controlling himself, he hastily moved away
and picked a position about five feet away from
the entrance of the cave. From where he lay on
his stomach, hidden by a clump of bushes, he
could see anyone who might enter or leave the
cave; he could also overhear anything that might
be said, even if the speakers conversed in whispers.
Taking further stock of himself, he concluded
that there was no way of his getting back
to town in time for the game. He had a fifteen
mile walk which would take him about five hours.
Besides, since he was already here and had come
upon the cave, he wanted to wait around a while
to see what might happen. Surely the stranger was
inside, as he most certainly did not make the trip
for nothing. Something was bound to happen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[131]</a></span>
Wallace therefore made himself as comfortable
as he could and waited.</p>

<p>After what seemed to be hours of dead quiet,
he suddenly became conscious of an airplane overhead.
He dropped to the ground again and hid
behind the bushes. Looking up, he saw a small
monoplane circling overhead. Some moments later
it glided to a landing at the mysterious airport. A
man climbed out of the cockpit and walked across
the clearing toward the cave. Wallace now turned
to watch the entrance of the cave. As he looked
the foliage swung back and revealed an entrance
about four feet high and three feet wide. The
stranger, bent over, emerged from the cave, waiting
for the pilot to appear. Coming into view, the
stranger greeted, “Hello, Chief!”</p>

<p>“Hello, Bud!” The other returned.</p>

<p>The pilot was the same “Chief” that Wallace
and Jack had seen before. He made a motion to
enter the cave but Bud stopped him, saying. “Let’s
stay out here, Chief. It’s awful hot there.”</p>

<p>The chief nodded, “Okey,” he answered. “I
ain’t gonna stay but a couple of minutes.” And
they squatted at the entrance.</p>

<p>“What’s the dope?”</p>

<p>“Not much. Just wanted to tell you to clear
everything out of here and lay low for a while.”</p>


<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[132]</a></span></p>

<p>“What’s the matter? The law catching up with
us?”</p>

<p>“Naw, they’ll never get us. It’s at the other
end. They still didn’t dispose of the last shipment.
So there ain’t nothing for us to do for a while.”</p>

<p>“Hm. Well, it’ll be like a vacation.”</p>

<p>“Yeah. Make the most of it.”</p>

<p>For a short while there was silence. Finally
Bud asked, “When do you figure we’ll make another
shipment?”</p>

<p>“In about ten days or two weeks.”</p>

<p>“Guess I’ll run over to the city for about a
week and kill some time enjoying myself.”</p>

<p>“Suit yourself,” answered the chief languidly.</p>

<p>Wallace trembled with excitement. He could
barely control himself. The chief rose and muttered,
“Guess I’ll be going now.”</p>

<p>Bud also rose and said, “Guess I’ll go too.”</p>

<p>“Got everything cleaned out of there?”</p>

<p>“Clean as a whistle.”</p>

<p>“Okey.”</p>

<p>Bud pushed the door, with its attached foliage
against the mouth of the cave and walked off.
Wallace became frantic. He had to get to the car
before he left or else he would have to walk. He
had to run by way of the woods while Bud crossed
the clearing. Just as soon as he thought it was safe,
he sprinted away. He hoped that Bud would stop<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[133]</a></span>
to talk with the chief for a while, which would
give him the necessary time to make it. He ran
swiftly and noiselessly because if he made any
sound and was detected, it would be too bad.
Wallace came upon the car just about half a minute
before Bud. He hid behind the tree and
hitched onto the car. They returned via the same
route. Just as they hit the main road, Wallace
jumped off. He figured it was much safer if he
hiked the five miles into town.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[134]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">The Cave</span></p>

<p>William, wearing a long face, hesitated as he
mounted the steps to the porch of his home. A
thousand questions filled his mind which he was
afraid his mother might ask, and he searched for
possible answers. Slumping into a chair, he tried
to think how to meet any situation that might
arise. At the same time he was worried about his
brother and wondered what might have happened
to him. He didn’t hear his mother come out on the
porch. Her voice startled him as she asked,
“What are you sitting out here for, William?”</p>

<p>He shrugged his shoulders. “Just like that,
mother. Resting up.”</p>

<p>“Did you win the game?”</p>

<p>“No. No, mother, we lost.”</p>

<p>“I’m sorry to hear that.” She looked at him and
saw how miserable he felt imagining that it was
because of the lost game. She tried to cheer him
up by saying, “Don’t feel so badly, son. It’s not
so terrible to lose a game.”</p>

<p>“Yes, mother.”</p>

<p>“Where is Wallace?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[135]</a></span></p>

<p>The question came suddenly and hit him like a
bombshell. He expected it, yet he was caught off
guard. Hesitating, trying to think of the exact
words he was going to utter he finally said, “He
went with Jack; said he’d stay there for supper.”</p>

<p>“Very well.” She smiled down at him. “You’d
better go and wash up.”</p>

<p>He rose and entered the house. He took a
shower and changed his clothes and fussed, trying
very hard to delay his coming down to the dining
room. When he heard his mother call him for
the second time, he left his room and descended
the stairs. Entering the dining room his eyes almost
popped out of his head to see his twin
brother and Jack at the table. His father noticed
the look of consternation on his face and asked,
“Anything wrong, son? You look pale.”</p>

<p>“No, Dad. I feel fine and dandy.” Trying to
keep his voice level as possible, he asked, “I
thought you were staying at Jack’s for supper?”</p>

<p>Wallace had a mouthful. “Changed our minds,”
he mumbled.</p>

<p>William was overjoyed. Passing behind his
brother’s chair, Wallace got poked in the head. It
was a signal of affection rather than of anger. Sitting
down at the table, William was all smiles and
suddenly he remembered that he was terribly
hungry.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[136]</a></span></p>

<p>When the boys met, Wallace was attacked with
a million questions, but at first he wouldn’t answer
a single one. When the time came, he told his
story. A lot of discussion ensued. One thing was
agreed upon by all, however. They had to go
and investigate the cave while they had the chance.
Tomorrow was Sunday. So they would leave in
the afternoon, camp out for the night and return
the following day. After deciding upon the plan,
Nuthin’ raised another question. “Don’t you think
it’s about time we informed the police or government
agents?” he asked.</p>

<p>Paul answered quickly and precisely. “No. Absolutely
no.”</p>

<p>“W-w-why not?” queried Bluff.</p>

<p>“For a thousand reasons,” replied Paul. “But
one is sufficient. If we tell the police, they’ll most
likely put some guards there and the secret will
leak out, then that gang will get wise and beat it.”</p>

<p>That seemed to satisfy most of them but
Nuthin’ was insistent. “But what can we do by
ourselves?” he demanded.</p>

<p>“We’ll just have to wait and see.”</p>

<p>They met at the outskirts of the town, coming
there in twos and threes; they didn’t want anyone
to see them and ask them embarrassing questions.
They carried with them only enough provisions to
last them until the following day. Hiking briskly,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[137]</a></span>
with a minimum of rest stops, the group arrived
at their destination at about five o’clock. Holding
a conference, it was decided that only Wallace and
Jack would enter the cave, while the other boys
hid themselves at various distances, and kept a
sharp lookout. Before the group parted, Paul
warned the two, “Now don’t stay there too long.
We’ll give you forty minutes. If you’re not out by
then, we will come after you.”</p>

<p>The two nodded in agreement. Waiting for
the others to take their places of hiding, they
finally heard Paul’s whistle, the signal for them
to proceed. Wallace and Jack crept forward. At
the entrance, Wallace paused to point out to his
friend the remarkable work of deception. Then,
shaking with excitement, he pulled the door ajar
and peeked in. It was dark inside and he saw
nothing. Pulling the door a bit wider, the two
boys crept in, and used their flashlights.</p>

<p>Paul and the other boys watched Jack and Wallace
enter the cave and saw the door close behind
them. Time dragged on their hands. They lay in
hiding places and watched the sun move steadily
in its westward course. In a couple of hours it
would be dark and they had yet to set up camp.
But the boys didn’t think of it. Their minds were
in the cave and they wondered what Jack and
Wallace were seeing and finding. Every minute<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[138]</a></span>
seemed to them an age. They trembled with excitement.
Paul saw William signal that he wanted
to come over, which he did. “Wish they would
come out all ready so we can go in and see what’s
inside,” William whispered.</p>

<p>“Give them their allotted time,” Paul answered.</p>

<p>Side by side, they lay there and itched with
impatience. Tired of watching the entrance to the
cave, they let their eyes wander elsewhere. William
took out his watch and counted off each minute.
As the forty minutes were drawing to a close,
they again glued their eyes to the entrance of the
cave. William whispered, “They’re not out yet.
You think they’re all right?”</p>

<p>“Of course they’re all right. Give them time to
come out. They still have five minutes.”</p>

<p>But when the five minutes were up, the two
boys still had not emerged yet. Paul waited. Five
minutes later he called the boys together to discuss
the situation. It was decided that they would
wait fifteen minutes more and if Jack and Wallace
were not out by then, Paul and Bluff were to go
in after them, the others were to remain outside.</p>

<p>In the meanwhile, let us see what happened to
Jack and Wallace. Having crept into the cave on
their hands and knees, Jack used his flashlight,
throwing the beam of light straight ahead. The
cave was about forty feet deep and beginning at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[139]</a></span>
the entrance it gradually widened until it attained
a maximum width of about ten feet. The two boys
crept forward until they came to about the middle
of the cave. Playing their flashlight all around
them, they found the place truly empty&mdash;absolutely
bare of anything. The two boys looked at
each other dumbfounded. Jack laughed good naturedly.
“Can you imagine anything like it? If we
knew nothing about that gang, we couldn’t suspect
a thing by coming into the cave.”</p>

<p>“You’re right,” answered Wallace. “But I have
a suspicion that this is not the whole of the cave.”</p>

<p>Jack snapped his finger enthusiastically. “Those
are just my sentiments,” he cried. “It’s evident
that they use this place for a store room and a
hideout. Now if this was all there was to the cave
and they stored their stuff right here, then they
would be discovered by the first person who happened
to come upon them. On the other hand, the
fact that they have operated successfully and were
not caught shows that there must be another place
leading out from here where they can quickly
hide.”</p>

<p>“I agree with you. And I have been thinking
how we can start trying to find it.”</p>

<p>“And what’s your plan?”</p>

<p>Wallace rested on his haunches. “Notice how
simple and smooth the walls seem to be?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[140]</a></span></p>

<p>“That’s right.”</p>

<p>“Well, another part of this cave would have
to lead off somewhere through that wall. And my
hunch is that it’s near where we are now, on both
sides and to the end of the cave.”</p>

<p>“Very good. Then you start on that wall, I’ll
start on this one, and we’ll examine carefully
every spot. We’ll work so that we meet at the far
end of the cave.”</p>

<p>Wallace agreed and they set to work. With
their hands, they went over every inch of the
wall. They had been working like that for perhaps
ten minutes when Jack suddenly screamed,
“Wallace! I’ve got it! Here it is!”</p>

<p>Wallace jumped across to his friend’s side. A
thick door, about two feet wide and four feet
high, had swung out and remained open. Both
were so excited with their discovery that neither
one thought of determining exactly how it worked.
Jack didn’t know what it was that swung the door
open. It just happened. Wallace walked through
the door first, followed by Jack. So enthused were
they that neither one paused long enough to make
sure of their exit. As they stepped into this newly
discovered additional cave, Wallace used his flashlight.
The beam flew back and forth, all around
the place. The ceiling here was about three feet
higher than in the outside cave. And all around<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[141]</a></span>
the walls were stored large cases, boxes, utensils
of many sorts and such things. Wallace gasped,
“Look at all that stuff!”</p>

<p>Jack grasped his friend by the elbow. “Yeh,”
he muttered. “Let’s take a look.”</p>

<p>They approached the large cases first. Jack
carried his small hatchet with him. Wallace whispered,
“Open up one of these cases first, and do
it so we can nail it up again and make it look as
if no one touched it.”</p>

<p>“Right.”</p>

<p>Jack set to work. In the meanwhile, Wallace
roamed about, describing things to Jack as he
came across them&mdash;cooking utensils, bedding, several
iron cots, some clothing, two leather jackets,
two holsters and automatics. Jack had pried open
one board. He called, “Wallace, come here!”</p>

<p>They looked into the box. It was full of rifles.
Their eyes met in astonishment; even though this
was what they had been expecting. Jack gasped,
“Well, that’s that.”</p>

<p>Wallace said, “Now close it again. Do it so
there won’t be any suspicion that it was opened.”</p>

<p>When the job was completed, Wallace looked
at his watch. “Hey!” he cried. “We have been
away forty-five minutes already. Let’s get out.”</p>

<p>They looked around for the door but they
couldn’t see it. It had swung to without their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[142]</a></span>
being aware of it. Both boys rushed over to where
they thought the door would be; they pounded
and pushed against the wall, but in vain. Wallace
exclaimed, “Can you imagine a thing like that!
We were so excited we forgot we had to come out
again and took no precaution.”</p>

<p>Jack agreed. “Yes, it’s our fault. But let’s not
get excited. We’ll get out.”</p>

<p>“I suppose so. But the boys out there will
become worried if we don’t show up.”</p>

<p>“Then they’ll come after us.”</p>

<p>“But suppose they don’t find the door?”</p>

<p>“We found it, so why shouldn’t they?”</p>

<p>“It was an accident the way we found it. And
it is possible that they may not.”</p>

<p>“Well, let’s not cross our bridges before we
get there. Let’s do the best we can and look
carefully.”</p>

<p>The boys spent fully a half hour pounding
their fists against the wall, clawing with their
fingers. But all in vain. They sat down on the
hard ground to rest a bit and take counsel together.
But just then Jack felt a slight puff of
cool air and he turned his face to see the door
swinging out. He jumped up and grasped it.
Simultaneously Paul and Jack cried out. Wallace
exclaimed, “Hold it! Let’s see how it works.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[143]</a></span></p>

<p>Only a few minutes was necessary to discover
that the door worked on an axis and the slightest
push anywhere along the rim of the door, set it
swinging. But to make sure, two of the boys remained
on the other end, the door was swung to,
then Jack swung it open again from the inside.</p>

<p>Jack remained at the door and held it open.
Wallace showed Paul and Bluff around. They
guessed that all the large cases&mdash;there were six of
them&mdash;contained rifles, while the smaller boxes
contained cartridges. In about five minutes, they
were all prepared to leave again. Jack said, “Wait
a minute, fellows. Take a deep breath, then I’ll
ask you something.”</p>

<p>The boys breathed in. “All right. Now what?”
asked Paul.</p>

<p>“How does the air appear to be, fresh or
stale?”</p>

<p>Wallace sniffed the air again and answered,
“Fresh,” to which the others agreed.</p>

<p>“Now,” said Jack, “when we first entered here,
do you recall whether the air was stale?”</p>

<p>Wallace scratched his head. “I really don’t remember,”
he answered.</p>

<p>“That proves that the air was not stale but
fresh.”</p>

<p>“How do you figure it out.”</p>

<p>“Because if the air had been stale, it would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[144]</a></span>
have hit you right away and you would remember
it.”</p>

<p>“What are you trying to prove?” demanded
Paul.</p>

<p>Jack exclaimed. “Standing here I felt a very
slight draft. That’s clue number one. Secondly, if
the air was fresh when we first entered here, then
it proves that air is coming in from somewhere.”</p>

<p>“Gee,” exclaimed Paul, “that’s very good
reasoning.”</p>

<p>“Yes. But there’s more to it. I’m convinced
that there is an exit leading to the outside from
this inner room. The reason for it is obvious. The
gang had to have an avenue of escape if they were
ever cornered.”</p>

<p>“That’s very logical,” added Wallace. “Let’s
look for it.”</p>

<p>“Before we do that,” interposed Paul, “I suggest
that one of us go out and tell the boys not
to worry and be patient. Two of us should conduct
the search while one stands guard at this
door.”</p>

<p>They agreed and it was decided that Bluff was
to return to their companions, Wallace was to
stand guard at the door and Jack and Paul were
to conduct the search. Bluff left for the outside.
“Now,” said Paul, “let’s find the exit.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[145]</a></span></p>

<p>Using their flashlights, they scanned the walls
and found no clues. So the two boys got busy
looking behind the piled cases and boxes. In a
few minutes, Paul shouted that he had discovered
it. Hidden by a sort of net, the mouth of the
tunnel was just large enough for one individual to
creep along on his belly. Paul crept in, followed
by Jack. Five minutes later, Jack re-appeared and
called to Wallace to follow. The tunnel was about
thirty feet long, the other end hidden by a lot of
shrubbery. Looking around, the three boys discovered
that, the camping site which Bud (the stranger)
urged them to leave, was right there in
front of them, on the other side of the stream.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[146]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIV</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Flying Solo</span></p>

<p>Major McCarthy was quite sure of his pupils.
He was certain of their ability to land, to take
off, to fly, to know what to do in case of an emergency.
He had taught them to be not merely
flyers, but all around pilots. For that reason he
had insisted that they spend many hours learning
the intricate parts and mechanics of a motor. His
plans went further. He wanted them to learn more
of the technical affair that an airplane is. When
the time came, he would teach them as much as
he knew about navigation, how to fly blind, and
many other things that had to do with flying. But
all that was a sort of post-graduate course. For
the present, they had earned their wings&mdash;and
how!</p>

<p>He had absolute confidence in his young aviators.
And William was his star pupil. Technically,
not one of his pupils had as yet gone up
solo. However, each one of them had gone up at
least once, taken off, flew, performed a couple of
simple stunts, and landed again with McCarthy
in the rear seat, who didn’t say a word or move<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[147]</a></span>
a muscle; on that one flight he was merely a passenger.
Therefore his confidence in the boys was
based not merely upon his affection for them or
his opinion of their ability, but upon the fact that
they had proven their ability. For that reason he
made elaborate arrangements for their solo flight.
It was to be on Wednesday, at about five in the
evening, when the weather is usually not very
bumpy and quite mild. Secretly he had invited the
parents of the boys, the Mayor, a few other
notables, and let it be known that the public was
welcome. As for the boys, they were not merely
going to fly solo, but to do other things. He had
arranged everything. This was to be their graduation
exercises.</p>

<p>When the time came, more people turned out
than were expected. A special section of ground
was roped off for the several hundred spectators.
All the boys’ parents were there; even Dr. Morrison
had managed to get away from his office.
Some few of the spectators were jittery and
anxious. McCarthy was as calm and serene as
ever, smiling and joking. A few of the boys were
at first a bit nervous but they soon got over it.
They realized that they were merely going up in
the same way as when their instructor went with
them. This time, however, they were going alone&mdash;solo.
And since they were confident of their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[148]</a></span>
flying ability and of McCarthy’s teaching, they
felt that they had nothing to worry about.</p>

<p>Major McCarthy summoned the boys together
and they lined up in front of him. They were
wearing their Scout uniforms and flying helmets
and goggles. They were all very happy. The
Major addressed them. “Boys,” he began, “this
is your graduation day. Today you are going to
make your first solo flight&mdash;that is, you’re going
to take up a plane and land her again all by
yourselves. Having completed your solo flight successfully,
you’ll be presented with your wings; the
Mayor will make the presentation. You’re also
going to get a letter from me stating your successful
completion of the course.” Pause. He looked
from one to the other of the boys. “Are you
ready?” he asked.</p>

<p>“Yes,” they answered in unison.</p>

<p>“Very well then. Each one of you will go up
in the Avro, perform any one simple stunt you
choose, bank her several times, then land again.
After each one of you has done that, I’ll have
you go up in the air again, but about that, later.
William, you make the solo flight first.”</p>

<p>Major McCarthy had a definite purpose for
designating William to go up first. William was
the best of all his pupils, and the others, seeing<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[149]</a></span>
him perform well, would be heartened and do as
well.</p>

<p>The spectators cheered heartily when they saw
William walking toward the Avro which had
been wheeled out of its hangar and was being
warmed up by a mechanic. William climbed in and
the chocks were jerked away. He opened the
throttle and the mechanic leaped forward along
the ground. Shutting off the power by means of
the thumb switch, the plane slowed down. He
turned the nose into the wind. The next moment
he was off, skimming over the field, then the plane
rose lightly into the air like a bird. Easily and
smoothly, the machine climbed fast. Down below,
the spectators craned their necks to see. William
climbed until he was about two thousand feet
above ground. He banked and flew directly over
the airport. After circling it twice, he straightened
out, then opened wide the throttle. The machine
bounded forward and the nose sprang upwards.
As it rose, the forward speed decreased in spite
of the fact that the engine continued to run at the
maximum revolutions. The machine pointed vertically
upwards and for about a moment it appeared
to hang onto the rapidly revolving blades
of the propeller. The spectators below watched
the airplane with their mouths open. Some of
them, who had never witnessed such a stunt, were<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[150]</a></span>
positive that the machine would come crashing
down tail first. But suddenly the nose fell over to
one side, the tail shot up and the next moment
the plane was shooting sharply downward. Two
minutes later William was on the ground, and
climbing out of the cockpit. The spectators
cheered him. His friends shook him by the hand,
slapped him on the back and told him it was a fine
job. Major McCarthy smiled and called out, “All
right, Paul, you’re next.”</p>

<p>Paul went through the same performance, and
then the rest of the boys. Not one of them faltered.
The spectators were delighted, and the
parents were proud. As for Major McCarthy, he
said nothing and revealed no emotion. To him, it
seemed as though the whole affair was merely the
successful completion of his teaching job. Inside,
however, he felt very much pleased and proud.
It was a pleasure to have such an able group
of boys as pupils.</p>

<p>The Major had some other things in store for
the boys. He was going to have them do some
more flying. He had them lined up in front of him
and addressed them. “That was well done, fellows,”
he said, “but I expect even more from
you. I’m going to have you do more flying. You’re
all going up into the air again&mdash;and all together.”
The boys opened their eyes wide and looked<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[151]</a></span>
surprised. They wondered what the Major was
up to. He smiled and continued, “You’re going up
in pairs&mdash;Paul and William, Jack and Bobolink,
Wallace and Bluff. While I’m talking to you, the
mechanics are wheeling out two more machines,
another Avro and a Bristol. William and Paul
will fly the Bristol because William has already
flown the machine. The others will fly the Avros.
One of you is going to take the machine up and his
partner will land it. You’ll change controls after
every stunt. As to what you’re going to do in the
air, follow William. Are you ready?”</p>

<p>“Yes!” They answered in unison.</p>

<p>“Alright, then. William and Paul will take off
first, Jack and Bobolink next, and Wallace and
Bluff last. Go to it.”</p>

<p>The Major had discussed his plans with William
and had instructed the boy as to every move.
The entire flight had been planned in advance and
William knew it by heart.</p>

<p>The Bristol was somewhat larger and heavier
than the Avro. William got into the front cockpit,
Paul in the rear one. William was to take off,
and he warmed up the engine. A minute later
the chocks were jerked away. Turning into the
wind, he skimmed the ground for a distance, then
the machine rose gracefully and continued to
climb. A minute later, Jack and Bobolink took off,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[152]</a></span>
and finally Wallace and Bluff. They were about
two thousand feet in the air. William gave the
signal and the three machines lined up in formation&mdash;the
two Avros on either side and a little to
the rear of the Bristol. They circled the airport
twice. Again William signalled and the three
planes lined in a row; they made believe it was a
race. The earth seemed to shake with the drone
of the motors. After that, they fell into line one
behind the other. William signalled and each
pilot was ready. The first machine did an Immelmann
turn, followed by the second and third
planes. Soon they were in the same formation as
they had started but flying in the opposite direction.
The Bristol now went into a “half-roll.” By
pulling the stick back and kicking down the rudder,
the machine turned over completely on her
back with her nose pointing down. The pilot
shoved the nose further down, flying at a steeper
angle towards the ground; the pressure of the
air against the wings forced the nose up again,
and as the pilot kept pulling the nose of the
machine up, it leveled out and continued to fly
in the opposite direction. Both Avros followed
the Bristol.</p>

<p>William next signalled for a “barrel roll.” To
those on the ground, it seemed as though the
machine, with a kind of cork-screw movement,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[153]</a></span>
had wriggled on her back and then wriggled back
again. What actually happened was that the machine
went through the same tactics as before in
the “half-roll,” with the exception that instead
of ending up in a dive, the plane continued to turn
after being upside down and ended up on a level
keel, flying in the same direction as before.</p>

<p>The next stunt the boys did was a “loop the
loop.” The nose of the Bristol went up and the
next moment was flying upside down, followed
by a swift dive earthwards.</p>

<p>When all three planes completed the stunt they
fell into formation. William signalled for number
three&mdash;Wallace and Bluff&mdash;to land. Jack and
Bobolink landed next. The Bristol with William
and Paul became the only machine in the air.
They were directly over the airport. William
communicated with his friend to take over the
controls. A minute later William slipped over the
side of the plane and went hurling toward the
ground. The spectators let out a scream of dismay.
Ten seconds later, William pulled the rip
cord of his parachute and went sailing majestically
downward to the ground.</p>

<p>Again the boys were lined up, with all the
spectators at their backs. The Mayor made a little
speech and then presented each boy with his
wings. He turned to the major and asked him to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[154]</a></span>
say a few words. “Very few,” replied McCarthy.
“All I will say, boys, is&mdash;I’m proud of you.”</p>

<p>The young aviators were cheered. Then the
boys cheered McCarthy. The Mayor held up his
hand for quiet and then said, “And I want to add,
major, that we, the people of Stanhope, are also
proud of these boys and we are also proud of
you.”</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[155]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XV</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">A Complicated Surprise</span></p>

<p>After all the ceremonies were completed at the
airport, the boys and their parents returned to
town and were entertained at dinner by Dr. and
Mrs. Morrison. All the trimmings were included,
ending up with ice cream and cookies. Nuthin’
leaned back in his chair and patted his belly. “If
I’d go up in a plane now,” he remarked jocularly,
“The ship would sink like a rock, I feel so heavy.”</p>

<p>The boys laughed heartily. Bobolink said,
“That’s nothing. If I got into a plane now, it
wouldn’t lift off the ground.”</p>

<p>Some more laughter and a few more clever
remarks. Then Ken asked, “Well, what’s on our
program now?”</p>

<p>William replied, “Now that we are real pilots,
we are going to do some real flying.”</p>

<p>“Not for a few days,” interposed Paul. “We
have a swimming match for this coming Saturday
and we have to practice up a bit.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” spoke up Jack, “and this time we are
going to give that Slavin bunch a good beating.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[156]</a></span></p>

<p>“You say that as though you intended to do
them physical battle,” remarked Wallace, with a
twinkle in his eye.</p>

<p>“Oh, no,” Jack hurried to make himself perfectly
understood. “We are going to do it fairly
and squarely. The Slavin group is a nice bunch
and I don’t hold anything against them.”</p>

<p>“Except that they won the ball game,” said
Wallace.</p>

<p>“They deserved it,” added William. “They
played a mighty fine game, and Ted has never
pitched as well as last Saturday.”</p>

<p>“W-w-what a-about Ken?” demanded Bluff.
“He p-p-pitched m-m-marv-v-velously.”</p>

<p>“You said it,” agreed Paul. “I’ve never seen
Ken pitch better ball than last Saturday.”</p>

<p>Ken said, “If it wasn’t for the boys backing me
up as well as they did, it would have been just
too bad.”</p>

<p>“Well, why do you think we were out in the
field?” asked Bobolink. “Just for ornamentation?”</p>

<p>“Let’s cut the discussion,” announced Paul. “I
for one feel tired, and I imagine that all of us are
just a bit winded. So let’s break it up, go home
and meet tomorrow morning for swimming
practice.”</p>

<p>“Agreed!” cried William.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[157]</a></span></p>

<p>Everybody else seemed to feel that way. As a
matter of fact, for the past half hour or so, the
boys had begun to squirm in their seats and
showed signs of nervousness and anxiety. So it
was quite a relief for all of them to rise from the
table and go their way. Ostensibly, each one was
going home.</p>

<p>About half an hour later, Paul was walking
down Main Street. He was all spruced up&mdash;wearing
his new suit, a bright tie, his shoes shined to
a gloss and his hair combed neatly. At Rogers
Street he turned to the right. He walked along
snappily and whistled a cheerful tune.</p>

<p>At the middle of the block, he met Paul face
to face. Surprise showed on both their faces and
their eyes almost popped at seeing each other.
Quickly, each boy put his right hand behind his
back. Finally, after a very embarrassing silence,
one of the boys asked, “What are you doing
here, Jack? I thought you had gone home.”</p>

<p>“What about you, Paul? I thought you were
tired and were going to bed early?”</p>

<p>Silence. The boys squirmed and wriggled. One
of them turned and looked at the house they were
in front of. The other boy did likewise. Finally
Jack asked, “What are you hiding there behind
your back?”</p>

<p>Paul fidgeted. “Nothing. What about you?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[158]</a></span></p>

<p>“Nothing.”</p>

<p>Again silence and the boys looked around with
embarrassment. “You still didn’t tell me what
you’re doing here,” remarked Jack.</p>

<p>“Just taking a walk,” replied Paul. “And you?”</p>

<p>“Also taking a walk.” He looked up at the sky
and at the horizon. “Beautiful evening, isn’t it?”</p>

<p>“Yes,” replied Paul. “Where did you say you
were walking to?”</p>

<p>“Right here. And you?”</p>

<p>“The same.”</p>

<p>The two boys looked at each other, their eyes
met and slowly a grin spread over their faces.
Finally they laughed and slapped each other on
the back. Then Jack said, “Well, let’s go in.”</p>

<p>Paul shook his head. “No, wait a minute.” He
noticed someone approaching. “Let’s hide behind
the corner of the house.”</p>

<p>Jack and Paul retreated. Half a minute later,
a boy came along and without any hesitation,
started to cross the lawn to the house. The two
boys jumped out of their hiding place. “Where
do you think you’re going?” demanded Paul.</p>

<p>William jumped and went pale. Seeing, however,
who his assailants were, he gritted his teeth
and barked, “Say, what do you think you’re doing,
scaring people?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[159]</a></span></p>

<p>The two boys smiled. Jack said, “Now don’t
get too fresh or we’ll pummel you. Where are you
going?”</p>

<p>William made believe he was still angry. “Follow
me and you’ll find out.”</p>

<p>“And what’s that little package you have
there?” asked Paul.</p>

<p>“Wouldn’t you like to know, though?” was the
retort.</p>

<p>“A nickel to a penny it’s a box of candy,” said
Jack.</p>

<p>But William was not to be bluffed. “Seems to
me,” he remarked dryly, “that you fellows are
not carrying flowers in <i>your</i> packages.”</p>

<p>He had guessed right, and the three of them
joined in laughing heartily. But just then another
boy came up to them. He had approached quietly
and had been a witness to the previous scene.
“Well, well,” exclaimed Wallace, “are you fellows
holding a meeting here tonight or are you
just congregating here to be a nuisance? Answer
yes or no and don’t be flippant about it either.”</p>

<p>The three boys stared at the new arrival. Jack
cried in irritation, “This has gone about far
enough. Arline told me that she was inviting only
me tonight. What are you guys doing here?”</p>

<p>Wallace held up his package majestically.
“Now, Jack, don’t get excited.” He poked a finger<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[160]</a></span>
at his friend. “She told me the same thing,” he
assured the doubter.</p>

<p>“Same here,” echoed Paul.</p>

<p>“And me, too,” added William.</p>

<p>“And who else?” demanded Jack.</p>

<p>The boys shrugged their shoulders and shook
their heads. But they were not to be mystified
much longer. Just then, Bobolink marched up.
He saw the boys but it didn’t ruffle him in the
least. He nodded to them and said, “Hello, fellows.
Sorry I can’t stop to chew the rag awhile,
but I have an important engagement.”</p>

<p>“Is that so?” exclaimed William. Grabbing
Bobolink by the arm, he held on to him and informed
the last arrival, “So have we all. Just
stick around.”</p>

<p>Bobolink shrugged his shoulders. “Well,” he
said, “if I must, I must.”</p>

<p>In due time, Bluff and Nuthin’ arrived and
joined the crowd. Only Ken was missing. They
decided to wait for him because they had no doubt
he would also turn up. However, a few of the boys
became a little impatient and they decided to ring
the bell. Several seconds elapsed and then the
door opened and beautiful Arline Blair came
marching out to the boys on Ken’s arm. The boys
were startled, then they began to hurl all sorts of
flippant and good-natured epithets at him. Two of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[161]</a></span>
the boys even started to pummel him in fun.
Suddenly a command rang out “Fall in!”</p>

<p>The boys fell into formation. Paul approached
Arline, saluted her and said, “Miss Blair, Fox
Patrol bids you good evening.”</p>

<p>The young lady made a bow. “Good evening,
boys,” she replied sweetly.</p>

<p>“And the boys furthermore ask leave to
present you with tokens of their affection.”</p>

<p>Paul gave her his box of chocolates. Then each,
on down the line, presented her with his gift.
When all that was done, Paul sang out his commands.
“Attention! Forward, march!”</p>

<p>As the boys marched forward to go into the
house, Paul took Arline by the arm and led her
away in the opposite direction. When the boys
realized it, they broke formation and ran after
him. “Hey, you, come here,” cried William.</p>

<p>Arline tilted back her head and laughed merrily.
“I’ve never had so much fun in all my life,”
she said.</p>

<p>“Yes,” complained Jack, “but where’s our
fun?”</p>

<p>“We are coming to that,” she told him. “I
wanted to surprise you all.”</p>

<p>“You certainly did,” William ventured to say.</p>

<p>“And,” continued the young lady, “if you’ll<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[162]</a></span>
come in, you’ll find everything prepared for a
most enjoyable party.”</p>

<p>“Then what are we waiting for?” asked
Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“For no reason that I know of,” replied Arline.
“Let’s go in. The girls&mdash;”</p>

<p>“The girls!” exclaimed each boy separately.</p>

<p>“You didn’t think that I was going to entertain
all you boys by myself, did you?”</p>

<p>“No, but&mdash;”</p>

<p>“So I invited my friends to help me. Let’s go
in, now.”</p>

<p>They all entered and in spite of the complications
of the half hour before, they had a most
enjoyable evening.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[163]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVI</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Swimming Contest</span></p>

<p>For the following two days, the boys practiced
swimming assiduously. They spent most of their
hours at the lake and perfected their strokes,
their form, diving, turning, etc. They were in tip
top shape and were confident of the results. Saturday
morning all the boys turned out to help
fix up a float, repair the diving board, lay out
lanes and make everything ready for the contest
at one-thirty.</p>

<p>Three people consented to act as judges. Swimming
coach Thompson and Assistant swimming
coach Grey of Stanhope High School and a man
named White, who was at one time a national
swimming champion.</p>

<p>The events that had been agreed upon were the
hundred yard dash in which Paul and Nuthin’
were to participate; the two-twenty yard dash in
which Ken and Bluff had been entered; the hundred
and sixty yard relay, with William, Wallace,
Bobolink and Jack as the team; and finally a fancy
diving match, with Bobolink as his group’s
representative.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[164]</a></span></p>

<p>A large crowd turned out to watch the spectacle.
The members of the competing teams mixed
together and poked fun at each other, quibbled
over many nothings and thus forgot all their anxiety
about the forthcoming contest. The judges
were ready and everything was set when suddenly
an airplane dropped out of the sky. People
pointed, waved and shouted. Attached to the rear
end of the plane was a floating banner. Jack
nudged Wallace and asked, “Who do you think
is in the plane? Can you guess?”</p>

<p>“A turkey to a doughnut it’s Major McCarthy.”</p>

<p>Several of the boys standing nearby overheard
and agreed. Jack said, “That’s most likely who it
is. Can you read what’s on the banner?”</p>

<p>“Not yet. Wait till he comes down a little
lower.”</p>

<p>The plane descended to an altitude of about
five hundred feet. Everybody began to shout the
words on the banner&mdash;“GOOD LUCK.” Ted,
standing with Paul, asked, “Wonder whom he
is wishing good luck?”</p>

<p>“Both teams, of course,” answered Paul.</p>

<p>“He’s a very fine chap&mdash;the major is.”</p>

<p>“You said it,” agreed Paul. “There are not
many like him.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[165]</a></span></p>

<p>After circling around overhead for a short
while, the pilot waved and zoomed up into the
sky. Several moments later the plane was performing
a “barrel roll,” followed by a “loop the
loop.” The spectators waved, cheered and
screamed for more stunts. So the plane stunted
some more; it dived down heading straight for
the water, skimmed the surface of the lake and
zoomed away up into the sky again and
disappeared.</p>

<p>At last everything was ready for the contest to
begin. The judges called for the first event, the
hundred yard dash. Paul and Nuthin’ stepped
forward. Ted Slavin’s group was to be represented
by Ted and two other boys, Joe and Mac. Nuthin’
was placed in lane one, Mac in lane two, Ted in
lane three, Paul, lane four and Joe, lane five.
Coach Thompson looked the boys over, then
called out, “You’re all ready?”</p>

<p>The boys nodded and said they were. Thompson
raised his gun. “Ready!” he called.</p>

<p>The boys crouched, each in his lane. “Get set!”</p>

<p>There was silence everywhere. The boys
brought back their arms ready to dive. But half
a second before the pistol went off, Mac, anticipating
the signal, dived. The boys relaxed and
waited for Mac to come out of the water and take
the start over.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[166]</a></span></p>

<p>“Ready!” called Thompson. Pause. “Get set!”
Half a second later the gun went off and five
young men, their arms stretched out in front of
them, flung themselves through space, cut into the
water and&mdash;they were off. Ted, tall and lanky, was
out front, an inch or two in the lead. Their legs
kicked rhythmically, their arms moved gracefully
and with precision. They skimmed the water like
fish.</p>

<p>The length of the pool was twenty yards and
each man had to swim the pool five times. At the
first turn, Ted and Nuthin’ were neck and neck.
Both boys were encouraged and urged on by their
comrades and friends. Paul was only an inch or
two behind, followed very closely by Mac and Joe.
That position was maintained throughout the second
lap. In the third lap Paul and Mac started
creeping up steadily on the leaders while Nuthin,’
shot out into the lead, with Ted only an inch behind.
At the turn, a deep sigh went up from the
spectators&mdash;Nuthin’ missed his hold and lost
enough time in the turn to place him behind with
Joe. It seemed that the race was now to be decided
between Ted and Paul. Ted, however, seemed to
manage quite well in keeping his lead and Paul
didn’t seem as though he were gaining any. Nuthin’,
though, was in the meanwhile, gaining with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[167]</a></span>
every stroke. At the turn he was neck and neck
with Paul.</p>

<p>On shore, some people had set up a chant&mdash;“Nuthin’!
Nuthin’! come on Nuthin’!” They kept
up the chant until the very end of the race. And
Nuthin’ seemed to be responding very well to their
call. He was edging up closer and closer. He was
straining every muscle in his body. His arms and
feet were like a well oiled, well regulated machine.
Within five yards to the goal Nuthin’ was neck
and neck with Ted. The latter strained very hard
to reach out further. Two yards from the edge of
the pool and Nuthin’ had already crept into the
lead. The judges were bending over, watching
very closely for the first touch. The spectators
held their breaths and watched. In an instant the
race was over and the judges were rising to their
feet. Somebody shouted, “Ted! Ted, the winner!”</p>

<p>Both judges shook their heads and pointed to
Nuthin’. William, at the other end of the pool,
screamed, “Nuthin’! Hooray for Nuthin’!”</p>

<p>Somebody nudged him and remarked, “Stop
shouting for nothing; shout for something.”</p>

<p>William laughed and roared. “Nuthin’ is something
and how!”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ lay stretched out, with Ted at his side.
Breathing hard, Ted said, “That was a swell race.
Never thought you were as good as that, boy.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[168]</a></span></p>

<p>Paul, squatting nearby, remarked, “Creeping
up on us the way he did and winning the dash&mdash;he’s
certainly good.”</p>

<p>“You said it,” agreed Ted.</p>

<p>The two hundred and twenty yard dash was an
all-around disappointment. Not that it didn’t have
its thrills. On the contrary, it had too many thrills,
surprises and shocks, so that the contestants participated
in something that was more than a swimming
contest and the spectators lost interest in the
event itself. When the judges called for the participants
to step forth, Ken and Bluff came out as
representatives for their group. For the Ted
Slavin team, two boys stepped forth, one by the
name of Walt and the other Cy. The edge of the
wooden dock was wet and therefore slippery. As
the boys lined in their respective lanes, Walt somehow
lost his balance and slipped; when he had
picked himself up, he began to hop around painfully.
He had twisted his ankle, and that forced
him out of the race. His team had no other man
to take his place and that left only three contestants
in the race.</p>

<p>Coach Thompson finally called, “Get ready!”
Pause, “Get set!” The shot went off and the boys
dived. For three laps everything went along well.
The boys glided through the water gracefully. Cy
was setting the pace, with Ken following several<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[169]</a></span>
inches behind and Bluff bringing up the rear. On
their fourth lap, at about the center of the lane,
Bluff suddenly went down like a rock. People began
to scream and shout. Ken, becoming aware of
the commotion on shore, stopped to hear what
people were screaming to him. In the meanwhile,
Nuthin’ and Ted who were sitting at the edge of
the float and watching the race, both jumped into
the lake. Nuthin’ dived first and half a minute
later came up with Bluff. Assisted by Ted, the two
boys pulled Bluff in. He had suddenly gotten
cramps.</p>

<p>The race continued with only two contestants
now; Cy was in the lead with Ken fully five yards
behind. Ken tried to creep up on his competitor,
but as he increased his pace, so did Cy. The boys
kept up the grind back and forth, back and forth
across the pool. At the end of the seventh lap,
Ken had managed to regain about half the distance
he had lost. And he continued to creep up by
inches. As the boys were ending their tenth lap
and were approaching for a turn, a little boy of
about six or seven, who had somehow managed to
get to the edge of the pool, leaned over a little
too far and tumbled in. The child fell directly in
front of Ken and before many people had realized
what happened the swimmer had fished the boy
out, handed him over to outstretched arms and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[170]</a></span>
continued with the race. But by now, Ken had
fallen so far behind that even by his last sprint,
he could do no better than end up a full seven
yards behind Cy. The race was ended and few
people were aware of it.</p>

<p>The next event was the diving, with Bobolink
and Ted as the contestants. Both were fine divers
and their form was almost perfect. Each one was
obliged to perform the swan dive, the jackknife
and a third dive of the contestant’s own choosing.
After both boys had performed and had delighted
the spectators, the judges conferred but were unable
to come to a decision. The two boys were
told to perform any one fancy dive they chose.
Again both contestants performed so equally that
the judges called the contest a draw.</p>

<p>It was the relay, however, that again raised the
spectators’ enthusiasm to high pitch and set them
jumping and howling madly; it had everyone on
his toes following the contest closely.</p>

<p>William was the lead off man for his team.
Coach Thompson called, “On your mark!” The
two boys crouched. “Get set!” They brought their
arms back. The gun went off and William and his
competitor flung themselves through space, their
arms stretched out. They cut into the water and
set off in a fast sprint. Each contestant had two
laps to go. They glided through the water, their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[171]</a></span>
arms and feet moving rhythmically. Both boys
turned simultaneously and were neck and neck.
People shouted and screamed themselves hoarse;
their comrades shouted advice and encouragement.
Gradually, William moved into the lead.
As he touched, he gave Wallace, who followed
him, a lead of about three inches.</p>

<p>The next pair were off. Wallace kept his small
margin of a lead with his competitor sturdily refusing
to concede another inch. Wallace, however,
made a poor turn, and placed both boys nose to
nose. It even looked as though the other fellow
would gain the lead any second but Wallace
fought it out and both boys touched simultaneously.
The third pair dived and each contestant
fought hard for the lead but neither Bobolink nor
his competitor would yield. Stroke for stroke, they
glided through the water gracefully and neither
one would yield an inch. At the turn, it appeared
for a second that Bobolink gained an inch or two
on his competitor, but the next moment they were
seen gliding along side by side, nose to nose. The
spectators were frantic with excitement and they
encouraged, urged and cajoued, each his favorite,
to hurry up and get into the lead. The two contestants,
however, touched simultaneously.</p>

<p>Jack was the last man. By the way he dived,
flinging his body through space with a certain impatient<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[172]</a></span>
fury, it seemed that he was going to fly
across the pool. His competitor, however, was right
there at his side and obstinate in his refusal to be
shaken. Jack plowed through the water at breakneck
speed. People wondered how the other hung
on and didn’t yield an inch. The spectators were
going wild with enthusiasm; some of them became
hysterical. A babble of voices urged both boys to
get ahead, take the lead. But neither one seemed
able to shake the other fellow. At the turn, however,
Jack who was very flexible and fast, manoeuvered
the touch and push off so quickly that he got
away with a lead of several inches. The other fellow
saw himself losing out and sprinted after Jack
fast and furious. But the latter would not yield
and steadily he kept his lead, making the final
touch a full five seconds ahead of his competitor.</p>

<p>People jumped into the air, fell on each other’s
necks and screamed with delight. Ready arms
stretched out to help the two boys out of the
water. Smiling, happy, Jack turned to his rival
and the two shook hands. The Slavin group
formed a circle and cheered Jack and then everybody
else they could think of. Paul, Jack and the
other boys also formed a circle and returned cheer
for cheer.</p>

<p>The contest was over and a number of people
went away. The spectacle, however, was by no<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[173]</a></span>
means over. It had been arranged to include several
items on the schedule as pure fun-provoking
spectacles. The first such event was performed
on the diving board. Bobolink dressed up in a pair
of balloon pants, and a bonnet on his head; Ted,
on the other hand, put on a bathing suit that was
twice his size, his fingers hiding in his sleeves and
the bottoms flopping around his legs, with a life
preserver around his midsection.</p>

<p>Bobolink appeared first on the board. Shaky
and nervous, he walked out to the edge of the
board. Suddenly slipping, he bounced on his back,
went up into the air and came down on his stomach;
he tried to grasp the board, but in vain; up
he went again and came down on his head and
then catapulted into the water, swimming through
the air. As he went under water, his bonnet went
floating on the surface of the lake. Coming up
again, he retrieved his bonnet and waited for
Ted to perform.</p>

<p>Ted took a running slide across the board and
as he came to the edge, he heeled over, trying not
to slide off; clawing the air, he balanced back and
forth, back and forth, appearing as though this
moment he was going into the water head first
and the next moment&mdash;no. Finally he did slip off
and as he fell through space he managed to grasp
a hold on the board. Like a see-saw, the board<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[174]</a></span>
went up and down, with Ted trying to clamber
onto the board again. He managed to put his legs
around the board and his fingers slipped and there
he was hanging head down. After performing all
sorts of gymnastics with his hands, he fell into the
water head first. And to the great enjoyment of
the spectators, Ted didn’t go fully underwater
but got stuck in the water, head, shoulders and
as far as his midsection immersed, while his feet
stuck up, kicking vigorously. Everybody laughed
at the sight until tears ran down their faces. Bobolink
swam over and after spinning Ted around
several times, helped him to turn over. Righted
again, only half of him was under water. Bobolink
pushed him below the surface several times
and the fellow bobbed up like a spring. It was
all the result of the life preserver around his
midsection.</p>

<p>Two canoes were placed in the water and each
contained a tilting pole. The two contestants,
Paul and Cy, were told to swim out and each occupy
a canoe, which the boys did easily enough.
However, they were not supplied with paddles
and in order to approach within striking distance
of each other, they were obliged to paddle with
their hands. Separated by a distance of about three
or four feet, the boys stood up in their canoes and
poised their poles. But in the meanwhile, Paul’s<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[175]</a></span>
canoe had drifted away and Cy called out, “I say,
don’t run away. Come back and defend your
honor.”</p>

<p>“Just you wait a minute,” replied Paul. And he
immediately squatted and with his hands paddled
up nearer to his foe.</p>

<p>The spectators cheered and laughed with glee.
They were having as much fun as the contestants
themselves who now crossed poles as a sign that
the battle was on. They thrust at each other but
only jabbed the air. Their canoes drifting apart,
both had to sit down and do some paddling again.
Someone on shore shouted, “Get together there,
will you? Do something!”</p>

<p>Others echoed the cry and urged the contestants
on to do something. Just as soon as they were
close enough, both boys jumped up and grabbed
their poles. Cy thrust out and Paul dodged it and
poked back; but Cy caught it on his pole and
pushed it away. Again the poles crossed. Cy’s
canoe was drifting away, and he leaned forward
a trifle, reaching out to strike his opponent;
instead, Paul pushed his pole into Cy’s shoulder and
the latter plunged into the water. Paul stood up his
pole and thrust out his chest as a sign of victory.
The spectators ashore applauded and cheered him.
But just then Cy bobbed out of the water and tipped
Paul’s canoe, throwing him into the water, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[176]</a></span>
caused the spectators a great deal of amusement.</p>

<p>The boys were getting dressed in the boat-house.
They were jabbering away a mile a minute.
Ted stood up on a bench and called out, “Everybody
attention, please!”</p>

<p>“Pull him off!” someone shouted.</p>

<p>“Don’t let him talk!” another added.</p>

<p>“Hear! Hear!” someone else shouted.</p>

<p>When all had finally quieted down, Ted began,
“A friend of mine&mdash;”</p>

<p>He was interrupted by several voices. One
cried, “Who’s she?”</p>

<p>“What’s her name?”</p>

<p>“How do you know she’s a friend of yours?”</p>

<p>“Quiet! Quiet!”</p>

<p>Ted continued. “As I was saying, a friend of
mine has arranged a dance as a successful completion
of today’s events.”</p>

<p>“Yea!” one of the boys cried.</p>

<p>“Hooray for your friend!” another shouted.</p>

<p>“And for Ted!” was added by another boy.</p>

<p>“Hooray for all of us!” cried Cy.</p>

<p>Quiet was restored and Ted finished his statement,
declaring, “The dance will be held at eight
o’clock, the place&mdash;the High School gym, and you
are all not only invited but urged to come.”</p>

<p>He was applauded, cheered, and thanked for
the information. All the boys promised to come.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[177]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Man Chained</span></p>

<p>The boys were in conference. Nuthin’ said, “I
still maintain, fellows, that we ought to call in
the police. After all, what can we do? Suppose
that gang uses guns against us, then we’re lost.”</p>

<p>Paul answered, “As far as their using guns
against us, we will have to risk that. But then,
whatever plan we adopt to capture that gang, we’ll
use our brains and make it so they won’t have a
chance to use their guns. As for calling the police,
if we do that, it is very likely that the whole gang
will get away. Imagine what the police method
would be. They would remove all the stuff from
the cave and then wait around for the thieves to
come and be caught. But they won’t come because
it’s bound to leak out and be given a lot of
publicity.”</p>

<p>“And another thing,” chimed in William, “look
at all the fun we’ll be missing.”</p>

<p>“But very dangerous fun,” retorted Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“Your imagination is carrying you away,” interposed
Ken.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[178]</a></span></p>

<p>Nuthin’ shrugged his shoulders and withdrew
his objections.</p>

<p>Wallace spoke up. “Let’s get down to business,”
he said, “and develop some plan.”</p>

<p>“Suppose someone suggests something and then
we will all chip in,” remarked Ken.</p>

<p>The boys nodded and Wallace was the first
to offer his opinion. “According to our information,
which is scanty, they are supposed to return
within ten days or two weeks from a week ago
Saturday. Now as far as we are concerned, we
have to be there on the spot. That means that we
must prepare to camp there for about a week,
and we have to leave tomorrow.”</p>

<p>“Is that agreeable to everyone or does anyone
have any objections or want to add something?”
asked Paul.</p>

<p>“Only this,” spoke up Bobolink, “and that’s
to keep a constant watch at the cave.”</p>

<p>“We’ll come to that when we work out the details,”
interrupted Jack. “For the present, I’m
sure that we’re all agreed to the proposal advanced
by Wallace.”</p>

<p>For the next three hours the boys sat in a
group and designed a plan. Every detail was taken
care of and everyone was sure that it would work
out well.</p>

<p>Very early the following morning, all the eight<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[179]</a></span>
boys, with full packs on their backs and wearing
their Boy Scout uniforms, marched out of Stanhope
and took the road to the mountain. Wallace
pointed out to them the abandoned farm house,
behind which was the road leading to the mysterious
airport. Jack’s immediate suggestion was that
they enter and search it. All the boys eagerly assented
and lots were drawn for the two who
would enter the house, two who would search the
yard and barn while the others were to deploy and
be on the watch. Paul and Wallace won the chance
to enter the house, while Ken and Jack were to
explore the yard and barn.</p>

<p>The boys withdrew from the road and put all
their packs together, with Bluff to watch over
them. William was stationed at one point to carefully
watch the main road; he himself was to keep
in hiding and not to be seen. Bobolink was directed
to watch the back of the house and Nuthin’ was
told to walk back on the road about a quarter of a
mile and to watch for any suspicious characters
and keep a general lookout.</p>

<p>Paul and Wallace approached the house
silently, carefully, examining the exterior of the
house with each step. Circling the house, they
found that several of the windows were broken
and nailed with boards. As a whole, the house was
not in bad condition and was habitable. Several<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[180]</a></span>
signs led them to believe that the house had been
used on and off recently. Paul pointed to a number
of footprints that did not appear to be very old;
Wallace spied a banana peel which could not have
been more than about ten days or two weeks old.
At the back of the house the boys came across
pieces that appeared to have been chopped in the
recent past. Turning to his friend, Wallace remarked,
“Looks like they used this place all
right.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” agreed Paul. “And I think that we’ll
most likely find a lot of interesting things inside.”</p>

<p>The boys approached the front door and Paul
tried the knob. It wouldn’t open. The boys tugged
and pushed but the door held fast. “What are we
going to do,” asked Paul, “break in the door?”</p>

<p>“No. Let’s pry away the boards from one of the
windows and gain entrance that way.”</p>

<p>Paul agreed. At one of the side windows Wallace
used his hatchet and pried away three boards
giving them enough room to climb through. Wallace
was the first to tumble in and Paul quickly
followed. With the help of their searchlights,
they examined the room. It was very dusty, with
cobwebs and several broken chairs strewn about
the floor; otherwise the room was completely
empty. Paul whispered, “Well, there’s nothing
much here, so let’s move on.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[181]</a></span></p>

<p>The floor squeaked as they tiptoed to the door.
There was no knob and the door stuck tightly.
Wallace used his hatchet and pried it open. The
boys stepped into a large foyer. To one side were
the stairs leading to the flight above, and across
the hall were two doors. They approached the
nearest door and endeavored to push it open; it
stuck fast. Pulling and tugging, the knob broke
loose. Rather than break in, Paul suggested that
they try the second door first. The boys entered
into a kitchen. On one side was a coal stove and
an oil burner; against the window was a table with
several dirty dishes; a couple of chairs stood by.
While Paul examined the closets, Wallace struck
a match and tried the oil burner. It burned and
that revealed that it had been in recent use. In
the closet, Paul found odds and ends of crockery,
rags and several pieces of old clothing.</p>

<p>From the kitchen, a swinging door led into the
next room&mdash;the room the boys could not enter
from without. There they saw two open cots with
blankets and pillows. A third cot, folded, stood
near by. In the middle of the room were a large,
round table and four chairs. On the table lay several
used candles, a couple of small liquor glasses
stood nearby and an empty whiskey bottle. There
were some rags and pieces of clothing strewn
about. The boys wheeled around on their heels<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[182]</a></span>
slowly, examining the room closely. Paul spied an
overcoat lying in a heap in a corner. He tiptoed
slowly across the room and picked it up; very
dusty, still it looked like a good coat. He
put his hand into the pocket and his fingers
touched a cold and hard object. It was an automatic.
He whispered across the room to his
friend. Paul snapped open the magazine and
found it loaded. Pushing back the safety cap, he
put the gun into his pocket. Again he picked up
the coat and in the second pocket found a box of
cartridges. Whispering across the room, the boys
decided to appropriate the automatic and cartridges.
Walking silently over to join his friend
in front of the fireplace, Paul passed a hand over
his brow and whispered anxiously, “We’re in the
gang’s hangout all right. And I hate to think what
would happen to us if we were caught.”</p>

<p>“It would be just too bad,” answered Wallace.
“But it’s too late to withdraw now.”</p>

<p>“Yes. But I’m beginning to think that Nuthin’
was right. We should have called in the police.”</p>

<p>“Too late,” repeated Wallace. “We’ll have to
make the best of it.”</p>

<p>Coming out into the hall, the boys mounted the
stairs, Paul leading and Wallace following. At
the head of the stairs they stopped to look around.
There were two doors to their left. No attic. Paul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[183]</a></span>
tried the first door. It held fast. Pushing and tugging
didn’t seem to help. Wallace whispered,
“Let’s try the next door.”</p>

<p>The next door swung open at the mere touch
of Paul’s hand. Entering, they found the room
very dusty but entirely empty. There was a single
closet; opening it, that too was found to be empty.
They returned to the hall. Wallace whispered,
“You think we ought to break in there?”&mdash;meaning
the first door they tried but found locked or
nailed.</p>

<p>Paul shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know.
What do you think? Is it worth the trouble?”</p>

<p>“You really can’t tell. From the looks of things,
it seems as though they don’t use this floor.”</p>

<p>“Then why should the door be locked?”</p>

<p>“I can’t say. Let’s break in, so we won’t have
any regrets.”</p>

<p>Wallace set to with his hatchet. Paul cautioned
him to make less noise. But it was necessary to
do a lot of chopping before the door would open.
Wallace swung the door open and remained at the
threshhold. Wallace gasped and Paul quickly
reached into his pocket for the gun. They stepped
into the room. Sprawled over on the floor was a
man chained to a chair. Quickly glancing about to
see if anyone else was in the room, they then hurried
to pick up man and chair. Upright, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[184]</a></span>
man’s head hung down and had every appearance
of being dead. Paul put his ear to the man’s heart,
listened closely for several seconds and then whispered,
“Still alive.”</p>

<p>“Wonder who he is?” asked Wallace.</p>

<p>“Let’s first set him free.”</p>

<p>The man was chained hands and feet and then
the chain ran several times around his body and
the chair and both ends of the chain were held
fast by a lock. Trying to break the lock was found
to be futile. So Paul attacked one of the links with
the hatchet. After removing the chains, they
stretched the man out on the floor. Paul made a
quick search through his coat pockets. From the
right one the boy brought out a badge. Wallace
craned his neck to see. It was a government agent
badge.</p>

<p>“Do you think he is a real government agent?”
whispered Wallace.</p>

<p>“Must be.”</p>

<p>“What’ll we do?”</p>

<p>“Take him out of here. Quickly. He needs air
and medical treatment.”</p>

<p>Wallace grabbed the man’s legs and Paul took
him under the arms. Thus they carried him downstairs.
At the window, Paul said, “We’ll lay him
down here for a while. You go and call a couple
of the boys.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[185]</a></span></p>

<p>He jumped through the window. Hesitating
for a moment undecided which way to turn and
whom to call, he put his fingers between his lips
and sent out a low, shrill whistle. Dropping behind
a clump of bushes, he lay there waiting,
watching. In about a minute he noticed Ken and
Jack appear from somewhere in the rear of the
farm yard. They stayed close together and
sneaked along from tree to tree. From the expression
on their faces Wallace could tell that
they were in a quandary as to where the whistle
came from. He exposed himself and waved to
them. They came on the run. “What’s the matter?”
demanded Jack.</p>

<p>“Anything wrong?”&mdash;that from Ken.</p>

<p>Wallace waved away their questions and instructed
them to wait under the window. He clambered
in. The man now had his eyes open and
made an effort to move his lips. Paul and Wallace
picked him up and handed him out through the
window. Jack and Ken gasped. Paul cautioned
them. “Be careful. Hold on.”</p>

<p>Outside, Paul instructed Wallace to nail up the
window again, while the three of them would take
the man to the other side of the road, to where
Bluff and their knapsacks were. That accomplished,
Bluff was sent out to call in the other
boys.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[186]</a></span></p>

<p>They stretched out a blanket on the grass and
with another blanket for a pillow, they made the
man comfortable. Paul moistened his lips with
water and let him swallow a couple of mouthsful.
After which the man fell into a doze.</p>

<p>Nuthin’ added, “He certainly needs medical
attention.”</p>

<p>Jack shook his head. “I don’t think there is
anything wrong with him organically,” he said.
“He must have gone without food for a long time
and that weakened him. Also the fact that he was
tied to that chair.”</p>

<p>“Perhaps he wouldn’t want us to get a doctor
because a doctor would have to notify the police.
And he may not want that.”</p>

<p>Paul spoke up. He said, “One of us should run
back to the nearest grocery to buy a bottle of
fresh milk, several cans of fruit juice and some
fresh fruit and vegetables.”</p>

<p>“I w-will g-go,” offered Bluff.</p>

<p>Paul cautioned him. “Make believe that you’re
hiking by yourself and don’t answer any
questions.”</p>

<p>Bluff nodded and was off. The boys sat down in
a circle and Paul said, “Now we’ll hear what the
result of your exploration has been, Jack and
Ken. Which one of you is going to do the
talking?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[187]</a></span></p>

<p>“There’s really nothing to tell,” spoke up
Jack. “We found nothing suspicious nor unusual.”</p>

<p>“Was the barn just plain empty?” questioned
William.</p>

<p>“Yes,” replied Ken, “except for a few sticks
and stones.”</p>

<p>“How about the yard?” asked Bobolink.</p>

<p>“We searched thoroughly but we didn’t come
across a thing.”</p>

<p>Pause. Silence. Finally Jack said, “Suppose you
now tell us all the other things you found in the
house.”</p>

<p>Between them, Paul and Wallace related their
entire experiences, not omitting any detail. He
took out and showed the automatic and the box
of cartridges. By the time the narrative was completed,
Bluff had returned. Warming up a glass
of milk, Paul fed it to the stricken man, a little at
a time. Revived, he smiled and opened his lips to
speak but Paul cautioned him not to exert any effort
and just to rest. He lay down again and fell asleep.
About two hours later he awoke and Paul fed him
a cup of pineapple juice and a soft boiled egg.
The man seemed to regain his strength rapidly.
He was now fully able to speak but he uttered
only a few words. “Thank you,” he said. “I will
now rest a little longer.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[188]</a></span></p>

<p>Toward afternoon, the agent recovered sufficiently
to sit up and declaim his hunger. But on
the recommendation of Paul, to which he agreed,
he was given only warm milk and again a soft
boiled egg on toast. As he ate, the boys gathered
around and watched him. When he had finished his
meal, he sat quietly for a short while, passing his
hand over his several days growth of beard and
laughing in his throat. Finally he spoke, his voice
throaty and rusty. He asked, “Do you fellows
mind telling me how you came to be in that
house?”</p>

<p>The boys shut their mouths and kept quiet. The
embarrassing silence lasted for about a minute. At
last Paul replied, “Don’t you think, sir, that it is
really your task to explain to us how you came to
be in the condition in which we found you? We
are Boy Scouts and by our treatment of you, it is
evident that we are friends and mean you no
harm.”</p>

<p>The man stroked his chin and hesitated. He let
his sharp eyes roam from one silent boy to another,
judging them, evaluating their characters.
Wallace held out the badge they had found on
him and asked, “Is this yours, sir?”</p>

<p>He glanced at it, nodded, took it and dropped
it in his pocket. “Thank you,” he muttered. He
still seemed to hesitate. Finally he spoke, low and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[189]</a></span>
throaty. “My name is Tom Woods and I want to
thank you boys for saving my life. Another day
and I would have passed out.”</p>

<p>“How long have you been a prisoner there?”
questioned Jack.</p>

<p>“What day is this?”</p>

<p>“Monday.”</p>

<p>He thought for a moment. “Since Saturday
morning,” he replied.</p>

<p>“Do you know if the gang is coming back for
you?” Ken asked.</p>

<p>The agent shrugged his shoulders. “I really
don’t know. But I imagine that they were going
to let me rot there until doomsday.” He again
let his eyes roam from one face to another. “I was
in luck to have you boys find me. Once more, I
thank you. You saved my life and I hope that
someday I shall be able to repay the debt.”</p>

<p>Wallace leaned over and whispered something
to Paul who nodded. For several seconds the boys
waited for the man to speak, but he kept his
mouth tightly shut. Wallace whispered, “Mr.
Woods, did you know that they are scheduled to
make a shipment one of these days?”</p>

<p>Though the question had been in a low whisper,
the agent had caught every syllable; at the word
“shipment” he winced, but so imperceptibly that
only three of the boys had noticed it. He smiled<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[190]</a></span>
wanly. He confessed. “I am a government agent.
It appears that you boys have information&mdash;valuable
information&mdash;which I desire.” He paused
and stroked his chin. “It’s only fair then, I guess,
that I tell you how I came to be chained to that
chair in the farm house&mdash;a most inconvenient
situation.” And he laughed in his throat. “I have
been on this case for several months. I suppose
you know that we are dealing with a gang of arms
smugglers?” He put the statement in the form of
a question and he noticed that several of the boys
nodded, which was the clue he wanted.</p>

<p>“Well,” he continued, speaking low, almost in
a whisper, “There really isn’t much to tell. I happened
to come upon their hangout&mdash;an apartment
in the city. Keeping a steady watch for several
days, I learned their movements. One night, I
watched them leave their apartment one by one
and I decided to go up and investigate. I got in
all right, but two of their comrades whom I had
never seen leave or enter the building, were there
to greet me. After that, things happened so fast
I still find it difficult to recall all the details. At
any rate, the next thing I knew, I was lying on
the floor of a car traveling at a good rate of
speed. I made believe that I was still unconscious
and listened to their talk, but they said nothing
to give away their secrets. Eventually they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[191]</a></span>
brought me to this farm house and chained me to
the chair. The rest you know already.”</p>

<p>The boys stared at him in astonishment and
silence prevailed for a short while. Finally he
said, “Now it’s your turn to tell me all you
know. I’m under the impression that you boys
have a great deal of valuable information.”</p>

<p>The fellows looked at one another and kept
quiet. They left it to Paul to do all the talking
and tell as little or as much as he felt would be
advisable. Paul, however, saw no reason for withholding
any details of the information and he told
all. As he progressed in his narrative, Tom
Woods gasped with surprise several times. He
listened attentively, wrinkling his brow and his
jaw set as he did so. When the story was at last
completely told, he confessed his amazement. For
a short while he kept perfectly silent and concentrating
on some plan he had in mind. He asked,
“What time is it now?”</p>

<p>“Almost three o’clock,” answered William.</p>

<p>“How far away is this camping ground you
were heading for?”</p>

<p>“Close to ten miles,” he was told.</p>

<p>The government agent shook his head. He suggested,
“The first thing we ought to do right now
is to find a camping spot. I don’t think I’m strong
enough yet to walk ten miles. Tomorrow, maybe,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[192]</a></span>
but not today. However, would you boys object
if we found some spot about a mile or two from
here and pitched camp?”</p>

<p>“I don’t think so,” replied Paul and turned to
the boys for affirmation.</p>

<p>“Then we’ll do that,” Woods said, “and then
we will devise a complete plan of action. You boys
know so much and are so familiar with the surroundings
that I shall have to include you in all
my plans to capture the gang.”</p>

<p>The boys immediately set off. Tom Woods accompanied
by Wallace followed at a slower pace.
They found a good spot and pitched camp. After
supper, the boys gathered around the camp fire
and together with the agent devised a plan of
action for the next few days.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[193]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XVIII</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">The Trap</span></p>

<p>The following morning the boys rose early.
They had had a refreshing and restful sleep and
they were now ready and eager to carry out their
plan. William supervised the preparation of
breakfast and each one of them had a hearty and
satisfactory meal. Tom Woods, too, had by now
sufficiently recovered to have a full meal. He
even declaimed that he now felt as well as ever.
But the shadows under his eyes and the paleness
of his skin told a silent story of horrible torture.</p>

<p>The agent rose to his feet and stretched himself.
He called Paul over and asked, “Do you
mind lending that automatic of yours? And also
the cartridges. I may have to use them.”</p>

<p>Paul surrendered the pistol and ammunition.
Several minutes later, Wallace called out, “I’m
ready, Mr. Woods, if you are.”</p>

<p>“I’m also ready, so let’s go.”</p>

<p>Wallace shouldered his knapsack and waving
goodbye to the other boys who were busy breaking
camp, he and the agent set off. As for the
rest of the group, just as soon as everything was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[194]</a></span>
ready, they set off for their destination&mdash;their old
camp ground, which they reached at about noon.
After a fifteen minute rest, lunch was prepared.
Paul then declared a thirty minute rest period,
adding, “We have a lot of hard work ahead of
us which must be accomplished before nightfall.
So relax, then we will get to work.”</p>

<p>Ken was left behind to keep guard at camp and
put it into order. The other boys set off, with the
cave their destination. When they got there, Bobolink
and Nuthin’ were stationed at strategic
points to keep a careful watch. Paul, Jack and
William hid in the shrubbery. Paul picked up
several light stones and threw them at the door
of the cave. Some moments passed. The boys,
anxious and determined, breathed hard. Jack
crept forward on his hands and knees and moving
so that the door would act as a shield, he
slowly and quietly opened the door wide. There
was no one in the front compartment of the cave
and the door was closed. Jack crept back into
hiding and now Paul and William rose to their
feet and stole quietly away. The two boys crossed
the stream and came upon the shrubbery-hidden
opening that led to the back of the cave. Paul
crept in; William kept guard. In a short while
Paul came out. “How does it look inside?” William
asked.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[195]</a></span></p>

<p>“The place is just full of wooden cases and
boxes. They must have been here very recently
and we missed them.”</p>

<p>“That’s nothing. Since they have their baggage
here yet, they will come back. If not today, then
tomorrow or the next day. In the meanwhile, I’m
going back to give Jack the word. Is that all
right?”</p>

<p>“Yes. If you two get through with your job
first, come and give me a hand.”</p>

<p>“Very well.”</p>

<p>William disappeared and Paul set to work.
Jack was waiting for William to return and just
as soon as he did, the two boys got busy in front
of and around the cave. They worked arduously
and quickly. Finally the boys were done and without
hesitating or wasting a minute, they set out to
help Paul whom they met on the way. “You have
everything finished?” the latter asked.</p>

<p>The boys nodded. “And you?” queried William.</p>

<p>“All done.”</p>

<p>“Good.”</p>

<p>The boys returned to their camp. It was already
dark when William appeared. “Well, did
anything happen?”</p>

<p>“Nothing,” he replied. “And here?”</p>

<p>“Nothing.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[196]</a></span></p>

<p>Early the following morning, Jack left camp.
He walked at a steady rapid pace and in about
three hours he arrived at the farm house. Wallace
had told him that Tom Woods would meet him
there. He searched for some sign of the agent
and finding none, he entered the yard and crept
stealthily along, aiming for a position which
would keep him in hiding while he had a good
view of the road and most of the yard. He gained
his goal and stretched himself out on the ground,
prepared to wait until the agent showed up. Suddenly
he felt the presence of someone close to
him. He bounded up from the earth, but Tom
Woods grabbed him and pulled him down again.
The man laughed. “It’s all right, boy,” he
whispered.</p>

<p>“Whew! You certainly scared me, Mr.
Woods!” Jack exclaimed, heaving a sigh of relief.</p>

<p>“Just a little foolish playfulness on my part,”
the agent stated. “What’s the news from camp?”</p>

<p>“Nothing happened. The boys did everything
they were supposed to and everything is ready
to greet the gang.”</p>

<p>“That’s good. I have a faint suspicion that we
won’t have to wait for them long either.”</p>

<p>“You think they’ll come today?”</p>

<p>“Most likely. Though I wouldn’t swear to it.
Nothing is certain, you know.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[197]</a></span></p>

<p>They lay there side by side and conversed in
very low whispers. Woods questioned the boy
about his home, his activities, his friends and all
sorts of little details about his life. In return he
told many anecdotes of his experiences. He possessed
a very fine sense of humor and he twisted
every story he told into a humorous narrative.
He had Jack giggling most of the time.</p>

<p>It turned out that Tom Woods was wrong and
nothing happened that day. Towards nightfall, he
instructed Jack to return to camp, tell the boys to
be ever on the watch and have Wallace come
down the following morning. It was quite dark
when he reached camp and he was so tired that
after a sandwich he turned in for the night.</p>

<p>Wallace rose with the dawn and wasted no time
getting set for his hike down the mountain. When
he arrived at the farm house, Tom Woods played
the same trick on him as he did on Jack. Side by
side, the two lay in hiding and waited. “What did
the boys do yesterday?” asked the agent.</p>

<p>“They kept watch all day long but nothing
happened.”</p>

<p>“It will today,” asserted Woods.</p>

<p>All day long they lay in hiding and waited. It
appeared as though Tom Woods was wrong
again. But that did not despair him. He continued
telling his humorous anecdotes and kept himself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[198]</a></span>
and his companion cheerful. The sun swung across
the horizon. Noon came and passed. The hours
dragged along. Towards five o’clock, the government
agent suddenly broke off in the middle of a
sentence; he became very alert. Wallace felt a
cold chill run down his spine. Woods hurriedly
whispered, “Don’t get excited. Stay under cover
until I tell you otherwise.”</p>

<p>A car swung slowly in from the road into the
yard. Behind the farm house, it stopped. Wallace
whispered to his companion, “The one at the
wheel&mdash;Bud, the stranger.”</p>

<p>Woods nodded. He held the automatic ready.
As the car stopped, Bud jumped out and called
back over his shoulder, “Just want to take a look
around. It’ll take me only a minute.”</p>

<p>The agent crept away. Silently he tiptoed from
behind the car. Coming close, he hissed. “One
move or sound and you’re dead. Put up your
hands.”</p>

<p>The gangster raised his hands above his head
and moved to step out of the car. As he did so,
he made a quick, wild move for his pocket.
Woods swung, hitting the gangster an awful wallop
on the chin with the butt end of his gun.
The gangster let out a yell as he went down in
a heap. The agent quickly crawled behind the car.
Bud came running from around the corner of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[199]</a></span>
house and hid himself behind a tree. He waited.
Woods also crouched and waited, but became impatient
and fired across the top of the car. No
answer.</p>

<p>Wallace was still lying in the same position and
eagerly watched the proceedings. He was anxious
and excited. He wondered what he could do to
help but he realized that for the present the best
he could do was to keep out of the way and let
the two fight it out. One of them, he thought,
would surely never leave that yard alive. He only
hoped that everything would come out for the
best.</p>

<p>Bud stretched himself out on the ground and
began to shoot wildly, combing the ground. A
pause came as the gangster took time out to reload
his gun. Tom Woods took the opportunity to
make a dash of several yards and throw himself
behind a pile of logs which he had set up for the
occasion. He shifted his position for two reasons:
one was that the car did not offer a good enough
barricade and secondly to draw the firing away
from the direction where Wallace was hiding.</p>

<p>A fraction of a second after he threw himself
behind the barricade, a bullet buried itself in one
of the logs. The agent answered it by sending a
bullet that just skimmed the bark of the tree.
Tom Woods waited. He was in a better position<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[200]</a></span>
than his enemy. Safe behind his barricade, he
also had an open view of the yard and gate and
he could not be taken unawares by anyone coming
from that direction. Of course, he might be surprised
by someone coming from the mountain,
but that was unlikely because he could, without
endangering himself, frequently turn his head,
and scan the outlying woods and farmland. On
the other hand, Bud was in a precarious position.
He had only one alternative and that was to flee.
But to leave his safe position behind the tree was
to invite a bullet from Tom Woods’ gun, which
might be fatal. So he also settled down to watchful
waiting. Now while the agent was in no hurry
and had plenty of time, the gangster was anxious
and in a hurry to get to the cave. Without doubt,
the government agent had the advantage.</p>

<p>In the meanwhile, Wallace wondered what he
could do to help end the situation quickly in favor
of his friend. After Tom Woods took up his new
position, he felt that Bud’s attention would be
entirely taken up by the agent and that he was
free to move away from his spot. Crawling on
his belly, he moved slowly and gradually. Finally
he came to a position that placed him to the rear
and to left of the gangster. He picked out a good-sized
stone and, rising on his knees, took careful<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[201]</a></span>
aim and hurled the missile. Then he fell quickly
under cover.</p>

<p>The stone missed its objective and bounced off
the tree. However, it attracted Bud’s attention.
The gangster turned quickly and fired twice in
the direction from which he thought the stone
came. In doing that, however, he exposed his arm
up to his elbow. The next instant he let out a
most horrible scream. The agent had sent a bullet
through the gangster’s wrist. The pain was real
but the intensity of the yell was a foil. The gangster
bounded forward to recover his weapon
which had fallen out of his hand. The next moment
he uttered a deep cry and toppled over. A
bullet from Woods’ gun had pierced his throat.</p>

<p>Suddenly everything was silent again. There
was a long pause. Tom Woods lay behind his
barricade and waited, while Wallace, in his hiding
place, also did not move. When he thought it was
all right, the agent came out from behind his
shelter and called for Wallace to come forward
but to be careful. First they attended the gangster
who was knocked out by Tom Woods. The
stricken man, at the first touch, moaned. The
agent put his hand to the man’s jaw and the
gangster bounded up as if he had been struck by
an electric shock. Wallace whispered, “You must
have cracked his jaw when you hit him.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[202]</a></span></p>

<p>“Guess so. Give me a hand and we’ll carry him
to the barn.”</p>

<p>Bud, lifeless now, was also carried to the barn.
Removing the clothes of the two gangsters, the
agent and Wallace donned them. Wallace looked
a little ridiculous in his outfit but his companion
fixed him up so that he looked all right. Finally,
they tied up the wounded man so that he couldn’t
escape, and tied a handkerchief over his mouth
so that he could not cry out. The two came out
of the barn. The agent held one of the automatics
used by the gangsters and said, “Here, you had
better take it boy. It may come in handy later.”</p>

<p>Wallace hesitated but finally he took it and put
it into his pocket. They walked over to the car.
All the windows were shattered and one tire was
flat. Wallace said, “A couple of holes in the gas
tank.”</p>

<p>Woods looked and then remarked, “We can
plug the holes up; they are not at the bottom of
the tank which is something to be thankful for.
And we will have enough gas in there to make the
ten miles.”</p>

<p>The two of them set to work. Under the front
seat they found tools with which to remove the
flat tire and put on the spare. Getting into the
car, the agent started it up and they were off.
Wallace showed him the road and Woods hurried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[203]</a></span>
to get to the cave. After a while, he laughed and
asked, “Well, how did you enjoy the little shooting
match?”</p>

<p>“I can’t say that I particularly enjoyed it. It’s
too bad that Bud was killed.”</p>

<p>“I guess you’re right, boy. I don’t enjoy killing
anyone either. But sometimes it just can’t be
helped.”</p>

<p>“I guess that’s true, Mr. Woods. But it is too
bad that it ever has to be done.”</p>

<p>“Well, when we get a better social system in
which men and women will have no reason to
be dishonest then there won’t be any shooting of
anyone, I guess.”</p>

<p>Wallace had nothing to say, so he kept quiet.
After a while, the government agent said, “When
you come to think of it, you had more to do
with the death of that gangster than I did.”</p>

<p>“How do you mean?” questioned Wallace
anxiously.</p>

<p>“You threw the stone and forced him to expose
himself.”</p>

<p>“Yes, but you did the shooting.”</p>

<p>“Of course, but&mdash;well, never mind. Let’s talk
of something else.”</p>

<p>They rode along, the agent telling a cheerful
anecdote while Wallace listened.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[204]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XIX</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">At The Cave Again</span></p>

<p>By the time all the boys had washed and
dressed, William had breakfast ready. Most of
them were tense and impatient, but on the whole,
they felt good. Leaving Jack behind to keep guard
at the camp and clean up the dishes in the meanwhile,
the boys set out for the cave. At their destination,
the boys separated, each going to his station
where he lay in hiding and watched. As the
hours passed slowly and wearily, most of the boys
became a little cranky and impatient. Paul decided
to go from boy to boy, talk to him for a
while and try to calm him.</p>

<p>At noon, Bluff was sent back to camp and Jack
returned with sandwiches he had prepared and
canteens of ice cold water from the stream. Paul
went to each boy in turn and passed out the sandwiches
and a drink of water. And again it became
a matter of watchful and patient waiting. Jack,
lying close to Paul, asked, “You think they’ll come
today?”</p>

<p>“It’s hard to tell. But they are about due.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[205]</a></span></p>

<p>“Mr. Woods thinks that they will surely appear
today.” Pause. Deadly silence except for the
breeze fluttering through the branches and leaves.
“You know,” Jack added, “this is getting on my
nerves already. I’d like to see it come off and be
through with it.”</p>

<p>“Patience, Jack,” his friend continued, “you
can’t hurry a situation like this.”</p>

<p>Paul moved away and went to keep someone
else company for a while.</p>

<p>At about six o’clock, Jack, who was watching
the road, was suddenly brought out of his lethargic
position. Sprawling on the ground, he thought
he heard the sound of a motor. Putting his ear to
the earth, he listened for some moments to the
rumbling sounds that came to his ear. The car
was several hundred yards away yet when he
spied it. Quickly and noiselessly, he picked himself
up and sprinted away. He came upon Paul
and told him the news. Not hesitating in the least,
Paul told him where to take up his position and
what to do. Then Paul ran on and passed the
word for all of them to be on the alert.</p>

<p>Paul returned and took his place beside Jack. As
they waited, every second seemed to stretch out
into an hour. Those who were in the car&mdash;whoever
they were&mdash;were apparently in no hurry.
Finally, after what seemed an endless wait, Paul<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[206]</a></span>
nudged Jack and pointed out two moving figures.
Holding their breaths, they watched and waited.
The boys were quite positive that the moving
figures would head for the clearing and cross it.
Then they were greeted by a surprise&mdash;a shocking
surprise&mdash;that awaited them. But they were
disappointed. Jack whispered, “They’re heading
this way.”</p>

<p>“Yes. You think they have any suspicion of
what’s awaiting them?”</p>

<p>“I don’t think it matters. Our plan takes care
of anything that might be different than we
expect.”</p>

<p>The boys kept quiet. Two figures passed within
five feet of them. Jack began to fidget as the figures
were passing. Paul had a hard time controlling
him, keeping him from talking. As the two
men passed, Jack whispered, “There’s something
familiar about the fellow in the lead; something
about his walk.”</p>

<p>“I was just going to say the same.”</p>

<p>The boys held their breaths. As the two men approached
one of the traps, they stopped. Some
whispering went on between them, as though one
was explaining something to the other. A minute
later, the one who had been doing all the explaining,
put his fingers between his lips and gave a
low, shrill whistle. Jack wanted to jump up and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[207]</a></span>
run over. “The one who whistled is Wallace,” he
whispered as Paul held him.</p>

<p>“Most likely is, but let’s wait and make sure.”</p>

<p>There was a pause of a minute or so. Again
the man whistled, then they both waved handkerchiefs.
Paul and Jack then came out of hiding
as they finally recognized Tom Woods and Wallace.
Jack was sent to notify the other boys and
to instruct them to continue their watch. In the
meanwhile, the three of them withdrew to take
counsel together. The government agent said,
“You boys have it all fixed up here. A man
couldn’t get away to save his life. I think you have
done marvelously well.”</p>

<p>Paul smiled. “We have laid our plans very
carefully,” he answered, “and we hope everything
will come off all right.”</p>

<p>“I hope so too.”</p>

<p>Just then an airplane fell out of the sky and
dived straight for the ground. Straightening out
at about five hundred feet up, the plane circled
the field several times. Wallace whispered,
“That’s the same plane we told you about. We
saw it land here once before. I remember it well.”</p>

<p>Tom Woods barked, “Keep quiet now and
don’t move; we may be seen from above.”</p>

<p>“No chance of that, sir,” answered Paul.
“From up above they can’t see a thing except the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[208]</a></span>
top of the trees. We had better hurry and take
our positions before they land.”</p>

<p>With Paul in the lead, the three of them
sprinted from cover to cover and took their positions.
At the last moment the government agent
told the boys to hurry and move away somewhere
else&mdash;take some other position. If there was any
shooting, he didn’t want them to be in line of fire.</p>

<p>The boys moved off. The plane in the meanwhile
had glided down to a landing. It was quite
a large, powerful ship with a double motor. Two
men jumped to the ground. The one in the lead
was recognized by the boys as the Chief. Very
unconcernedly, the two walked across the clearing
and headed directly for the cave. As they came
to the edge of the woods, the chief, for no reason
and without any provocation as far as it
could be determined, whipped a gun out of his
pocket and fired across the top of the cave. Tom
Woods, who thought that he was firing at one of
the boys, sent a bullet whistling past their heads.
The trap which the boys had laboriously prepared
and set was now a futile gesture. Whereas
if they had walked into the trap as set, there
would have been no bloodshed; now it seemed
inevitable.</p>

<p>The two gangsters now dropped to the ground
and sent bullets whistling in a semi-circle. To rise<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[209]</a></span>
and dash back to their plane was suicide. They
would be in the open, a clear and perfect target
for Tom Woods’ bullets. On the other hand,
dropping to the ground and taking shelter where
they did, they forestalled being surrounded by
the boys. As for the government agent, there was
nothing he could do to obtain a more advantageous
position. Of course, he could have one of the
boys keep up a withering fire while he crept to
their side or their rear. But he was against risking
the life of any one of the boys.</p>

<p>For a while only occasional shots were exchanged.
Suddenly Tom became aware that the
two gangsters had devised a means of escape, if
not for both, at least for one of them. The two
were separating, moving further apart slowly and
gradually. The agent realized that their plan was
to separate a certain distance, so that one of them
would keep him occupied while the other crept
back to the plane. It was a clever and subtle plan
and from every indication it appeared that they
would succeed. They were also most probably
aware that only one man faced them. Under that
condition, there was nothing Tom could do that
would prevent the one who got back to the plane
from returning with help. Or possibly he might
bring out of the plane a machine gun, and that
would be enough to wipe him out. He became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[210]</a></span>
really worried. What could he do to prevent one
of them from reaching the plane.</p>

<p>He determined that as long as it was possible
for him to do so, he would fire alternately at both
racketeers and occupy both of them. He also
wondered what the boys were doing. “But,” he
thought to himself, “I had better keep from thinking
of anything else and concentrate my attention
on those two gangsters. I’m positive the boys will
be able to take care of themselves.”</p>

<p>Tom noticed that slowly and gradually the
gangster on his right was moving backwards, and
each time he fired at the moving form, he was
answered by the second man, the one on his left.
The spasmodic shooting kept up for almost half
an hour. Suddenly there was heard the roar of
the airplane motor; in an instant, the machine was
turning into the wind and taxiing for a take-off.
Both Tom Woods as well as the gangsters were
so surprised that they almost forgot each other.
As the plane was still taxiing across the field, one
of the racketeers sent a couple of ineffective bullets
after the machine; but the shots did no harm.
The plane rose off the ground easily. Tom rationalized
to himself, “Whoever it was that escaped
with the plane, couldn’t be a friend of theirs, or
he wouldn’t have fired at it.”</p>

<p>Tom’s ammunition was running low and he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[211]</a></span>
could answer only one shot to his enemy’s three
or four. Five or ten minutes after the plane had
gotten away, he was again astounded to realize
that someone was firing at the gangsters from
their rear. “Must be Wallace,” he thought to
himself.</p>

<p>And so it was. Paul and he had withdrawn at
the behest of Tom Woods. Eagerly they watched
the battle. Several times Wallace wanted to use
the gun the government agent had given him but
Paul held him back. They, too, soon became aware
of the manoeuver of the two gangsters to permit
one of them to return to the plane. Cautioning
Wallace on how to behave himself and what to
do, Paul crept away and was soon out of sight.
A short while later Wallace heard the roar of the
motor and he heaved a sigh of relief as he watched
the plane take off. He was positive that one of his
comrades was escaping with the plane, though he
couldn’t imagine who. As for himself, now was
the time to act, he thought; the two were trapped.
Moving closer to the edge of the woods and picking
out a sound shelter and one that placed him
well to the rear of the gangsters, he aimed carefully
and fired his first shot.</p>

<p>Now to return to Tom Woods, the government
agent. Realizing that someone was attacking from
the rear, perhaps it was Wallace or maybe Paul,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[212]</a></span>
he tried to trick the gangsters into surrendering,
“You better throw down your guns and surrender,
you two,” he called out. “That was the signal
that my men have arrived. You can’t get away
now.”</p>

<p>“We’ll give you hell first,” cried the chief.</p>

<p>“Very well, then,” returned the agent. “I’ll
count three. If you don’t surrender, I’ll give my
men the signal to blast you to hell. One!”</p>

<p>The smugglers answered with a volley of shots.
“Two!” cried Tom.</p>

<p>The gangsters withheld their fire. They waited.
“Three!” The word echoed through the stillness
of the woods.</p>

<p>“Go to hell!” answered the chief. “How the
devil did you ever break your chains and escape,
you flatfoot?”</p>

<p>“Wouldn’t you like to know?” countered Tom.</p>

<p>“Yes, tell me.”</p>

<p>“When I have you in jail. Then I’ll pay you a
visit and tell you all about it.”</p>

<p>“I should have cut your throat instead of
merely chaining you.”</p>

<p>“Why didn’t you? Soft-hearted or something?”</p>

<p>The chief answered with his gun. Tom raised
his voice and cried, loud enough to be heard a
mile away, “All right! Shoot to kill.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[213]</a></span></p>

<p>He had two guns and he shot from both of
them as quickly as he could pull the trigger. Wallace,
who heard him, took the cue and also emptied
his revolver. The effect was that the two
smugglers seemed to be attacked on all sides.</p>

<p>Silence ensued, suddenly broken by a shot coming
from a third direction. A piercing cry cut
short the echo of the bullet. The chief bounded
up from the ground and then fell back again,
dead. Tom wondered who it was that had shot.
He took advantage of it, however, and called
out, “Hey, Smoky, do you want to give up or do
you want to join your chief?”</p>

<p>There was a pause. Smoky answered, “I want
to give up. Tell your men not to fire.”</p>

<p>Tom cried out, “Hold your fire!” To the gangster,
he said, “Now, drop your gun and stand up.”
The smuggler complied. “Raise your hands above
your head. Now turn around. You make one
move and you’ll go home in a box.”</p>

<p>Smoky complied willingly. The government
agent dashed from one cover to another, his gun
ready for action should the smuggler change his
mind. Finally, stepping forward softly, he came
up behind the gangster. Taking a short piece of
rope that he carried in his pocket, the agent tied
the smuggler’s hands behind his back. Just then
Wallace stepped forth out of the woods, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[214]</a></span>
handed Tom several yards of sturdy rope which
the agent used to tie the smuggler’s hands and
feet. That done, he turned to the boy and said,
“I think it’s all right now to get the boys
together.”</p>

<p>Wallace nodded. He whistled three times and
the boys crept like shadows through the woods.
They met in front of the cave. The government
agent looked at the boys, their expressions still
set and determined and their eyes full of wonder
and anxiety. He laughed. “Everything is all right
now, boys. You may relax.” He turned to Paul
and asked, “Where did you get that rifle?”</p>

<p>Paul scrutinized his weapon. “Inside the cave,”
he answered. “Bullets too.”</p>

<p>“And you were the one that shot the chief?”</p>

<p>Paul looked away embarrassed. “I was terribly
surprised to see him topple over. Because I didn’t
even aim at him.”</p>

<p>The boys and the government agent joined in
laughing heartily. “So!” Tom muttered, twisting
the words into a humorous expression, “You
don’t aim but you hit the bull’s eye just the same!”</p>

<p>Their laughter was interrupted by the roar of
an airplane overhead. They watched the machine
lose altitude gradually and continually circle
around and around. When it was at about a thousand<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[215]</a></span>
feet, Wallace exclaimed, “It’s the same
machine.”</p>

<p>“Who escaped with the plane, by the way?”
asked Tom Woods.</p>

<p>The boys looked at each other. “Who is missing?”
asked Paul.</p>

<p>“William.”</p>

<p>“Jack.”</p>

<p>“Anyone else?”</p>

<p>“Bluff, but he’s at camp.”</p>

<p>“Then it must have been William and Jack who
are in the plane,” Paul stated.</p>

<p>“Then you had better wave to them. Signal
them to land,” said the agent.</p>

<p>They all ran to the clearing and waved. As
the huge machine showed that it was going to
land, all of them retreated, so that the plane
might have a perfectly clear space in order to
land. Tom remarked, “I didn’t know you had
aviators among your group.”</p>

<p>Wallace informed him, “Six of us are pilots.”</p>

<p>“And you never told me!” The agent said that
he was angry that they had kept the information
from him. “In the meanwhile,” he called out, “you
boys take shelter. It doesn’t pay to take chances
and we really don’t know who is in the plane.”</p>

<p>The boys took up hiding positions and watched
the machine descend to a perfect landing.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[216]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XX</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Battle In The Sky</span></p>

<p>While those on the ground were so occupied
with the fight they did not notice a battle going
on above their heads; a battle between two planes.</p>

<p>When the plane landed with the smugglers,
Jack was with Paul and Wallace. As soon as the
first shot was fired, his first thought was that the
crooks might use the plane to escape in. So he
whispered to his two companions that he would
return to his former station and watch the road;
possibly, others of the gang might drive up and it
would be best to spy them before they had a
chance of becoming acquainted with the situation.
Paul thought it was an excellent idea and he permitted
Jack to carry out his plan.</p>

<p>As Jack moved noiselessly away, Wallace
wanted to enter the conflict and Paul restrained
him. Then Paul went away and left Wallace by
himself. The latter immediately moved into position
and was going to fire when his attention was
attracted by a creeping shadow at the farther end
of the field. By the form and outline of the moving<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[217]</a></span>
figure, he guessed it was Jack. And for that
reason, he withheld his fire&mdash;so that the attention
of the smugglers might not be attracted to the
figure moving toward the machine.</p>

<p>Jack was a short distance away from the plane
when he became aware that someone else&mdash;almost
at a right angle to him&mdash;was also creeping toward
the machine. He flattened out in the grass to
wait and see who the other creeping figure was.
For a short while he lay there hugging the earth,
not daring to move or lift his head even slightly
to see who the creeping figure might be. After
about five minutes, a pebble fell near him and
Jack flattened out still more. In a minute another
pebble fell near him, followed by a hissing sound.
He lifted his head very slightly and out of the
corner of his eye saw the other person wave a finger
at him. He decided that it must be one of the
boys and he continued dragging himself across
the earth toward the plane.</p>

<p>Jack and William crept up to the under-carriage
of the plane almost simultaneously. William whispered,
“Inside.”</p>

<p>Without any further hesitation, William
swung himself up and into the plane. Jack waited.
A hissing sound came to his ears and he knew it
was the signal for him to follow. Up he went and
into the plane. Both boys heaved a sigh of relief.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[218]</a></span>
William got into the pilot’s seat. “Now to take
her up into the air,” he muttered.</p>

<p>“You think you can fly her? She’s a pretty
large ship, you know.”</p>

<p>“I can try. In the meanwhile, you go in the back
and look around.”</p>

<p>Jack nodded and proceeded to obey. William
studied the dashboard as well as all the other gadgets
everywhere around him. Though he had
never flown this type of ship, he was sure he knew
how. Major McCarthy had explained it to him in
detail and he now knew exactly what to do. He
only hoped that the motor wouldn’t falter or need
warming up, because that would necessitate the
loss of precious time. But he didn’t think so because
the motor was still warm from its previous
trip. He was right. Everything went off beautifully.
Every single gadget responded to his
slightest touch. The motor roared, the ship turned
into the wind and giving the ship a sufficient run,
it took off like a great bird winging into the sky.</p>

<p>William was thrilled and exhilarated. He felt
the power flowing into him through his finger tips
which rested lightly on the joystick. Jack came
forward “How is she flying?” he asked.</p>

<p>“Beautifully. What did you find back there?”</p>

<p>“Nothing much. Some boxes, a couple of small<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[219]</a></span>
wooden cases, two revolvers in one of the lockers,
and also two boxes of cartridges.”</p>

<p>“You had better bring the revolvers and cartridges
here. Most likely we’ll have no opportunity
of using them but we might as well be
prepared.”</p>

<p>“I thought so too,” answered Jack. “I have
them right here.”</p>

<p>“Good.”</p>

<p>They were climbing. When they reached an altitude
of about four thousand feet, William
guided the machine away so that his companions
and all the others below would not see the plane
and would think that he had flown away. He flew
in an extended circle and kept circling around and
around. Jack asked, “What are we going to do
now?”</p>

<p>“I don’t know myself. What do you suggest?”</p>

<p>“How about flying to the airport and getting
Major McCarthy and maybe the police?”</p>

<p>“I don’t know whether that would be of any
help.” responded William. “By the time we come
back, their help would be of no use. On the other
hand, if we stick around here and watch how the
situation below unfolds itself, we may be of some
help. They may need our revolvers and ammunition
and we might drop them. Or they might need
us for something else.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[220]</a></span></p>

<p>“That’s true. But then again, if we should
land, perhaps those smugglers will get the ship
again and make their escape.”</p>

<p>“I can fix that very easily,” explained William.
“I’ll cut the ignition.”</p>

<p>“That’s right. Never thought of it.”</p>

<p>The boys continued their circling flight. Some
five minutes elapsed when William caught sight
of another plane making its appearance on the
eastern horizon. Coming nearer, they saw that
the machine was heading directly towards them.
“You think he’s coming at us?” asked Jack.</p>

<p>“Let’s wait and see.”</p>

<p>The plane was soon upon them. The boys recognized
it as a Bristol, a small craft but possessing
a powerful motor, modeled after army pursuit planes.
The Bristol flanked the boys on their
right side and flew along. The pilot was making
signs to William which the latter could not
understand; besides he was too intent on piloting
his plane to pay any attention to him. He called
to his companion, “Can you make out what he
wants, Jack?”</p>

<p>Jack was already at the window and watching
the other craft. “No,” he answered. “He holds
his fist up and moves it in a circular motion and
then points down. I can’t understand what that
means. Can you?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[221]</a></span></p>

<p>“Perhaps he wants to land and is asking us
about a safe place to land.”</p>

<p>“I doubt it,” answered Jack. “He doesn’t seem
to be in any trouble. And coming from the direction
he did, he must have passed the Stanhope
airport.” There was a pause while Jack continued
to watch. “I think he’s using his wireless,” he
called out. “See if you can pick him up.”</p>

<p>William inserted a plug and turned a disc on the
dashboard. Half a minute later, William nosed
his plane into a dive and was off. But the Bristol
was right on its tail. “That guy is a confederate
of those smugglers,” hissed William. “He was
asking if the stuff was on board and we were
ready.”</p>

<p>“Ready for what?”</p>

<p>“He didn’t say. Just asked if we were ready.”</p>

<p>The next moment they heard a sharp sound and
knew that the pilot of the Bristol had fired at
them, the bullet burying itself in some part of the
fuselage or wings. William brought the nose up
and began to climb. Simultaneously he cried,
“Load the revolvers, Jack, and see if you can fire
back.”</p>

<p>William wondered what he could do to get the
pursuing plane off his trail. He banked and dived
again and came up climbing. Jack broke a window,
stuck his hand out and fired point blank at<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[222]</a></span>
the nose of the Bristol. He pulled the trigger
fast and emptied his revolver. A bullet must have
struck close to the pilot, for the next instant the
Bristol dived.</p>

<p>The Bristol was a much faster plane, easier
to manoeuver than the craft the boys were in.
“What are you going to do now?” queried Jack
anxiously.</p>

<p>“I’m going up into the clouds and try to shake
him.”</p>

<p>But the next instant Jack cried out, “He’s coming
right up and it looks as though he intends to
hit you amidships.”</p>

<p>“Fire when he comes close enough, and when I
hear you fire the first shot I’ll bank right and
dive.”</p>

<p>Jack pulled the trigger and William performed
a half arc and dived; the Bristol zoomed past so
close that Jack held his breath. William levelled
out and began to climb again, hoping this time to
reach the clouds. But again the Bristol was upon
them and sending bullets into the fuselage and
wings. William, however, kept on climbing and
Jack frustrated the other fellow’s getting on their
tail by firing point blank at the nose of the Bristol.
For a moment the enemy craft disappeared
and then William discovered it overhead. They
heard the muffled thud of bullets sinking into<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[223]</a></span>
their craft but doing no harm. The next instant
William cried, “He’s flying away.”</p>

<p>“You think he has given up?”</p>

<p>“Maybe he&mdash;” William left off in the middle
of the sentence and gasped as he watched the
Bristol execute an Immelmann turn. He intended
to fly straight into the craft, firing as he did so
and hoping to hit the gas tank, and dive just in
time to avoid a crash. William was aware of the
manoeuver. “You better lay low, Jack,” he cried.</p>

<p>The two machines flew against each other. Just
as soon as the enemy fired the first shot he banked
and pulled the nose of the ship up. He still had
to climb a thousand feet to get among the clouds.
He decided to risk it even if the Bristol got on
his tail. “The other pilot certainly must be a clever
one,” he thought. Besides, the Bristol was a lighter
and faster craft and with the other fellow’s obvious
experience, he couldn’t help being out-manoeuvered.
His safety depended upon getting into
the clouds and shaking the enemy. “Jack,” cried
William, “is he following?”</p>

<p>“Yes,” was the reply, “but he doesn’t seem to
be decided what to do next. He has stopped
firing.”</p>

<p>“Perhaps he has run out of ammunition.”</p>

<p>“Perhaps. But he also seems to be aware of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[224]</a></span>
your effort to get among the clouds. He is following
closely though.”</p>

<p>William glanced and saw that he was rapidly
approaching an altitude of eight thousand feet.
Seeing a cloud which appeared like a mountain of
cotton wool in front of him, he headed for it.
Billow upon billow of clouds rose for thousands
of feet above them. In a minute the machine
plunged into the cloud mass and they saw nothing
but white all around them. They flew into the
mouth of a deep cloud valley. Directly below them
they saw the snowy floor rolling away. On either
side were white walls that rose upwards to the
blue ceiling of the sky. In a few moments, the
machine plunged nose first into another mountainous
cloud. William executed a left bank.</p>

<p>“What are you doing?” questioned Jack.</p>

<p>“Doubling back on my track.”</p>

<p>“What for? He may be out there waiting for
you.”</p>

<p>“Let him. If he is I’ll dive for the clouds again.
If he is not there and we have lost him, then all
the better. We want to be as close to the cave as
possible.”</p>

<p>William timed himself. After seven or eight
minutes of flying he called out, “I’m getting out
of the clouds.”</p>

<p>And the next instant they dived. Out in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[225]</a></span>
open again, both boys looked everywhere for
the enemy plane but there wasn’t a speck in sight.
Both boys heaved a sigh of relief and smiled at
each other. “You did it this time,” asserted Jack.</p>

<p>“There’s the clearing,” announced William and
pointed.</p>

<p>“That’s right. Are you going to land now?”</p>

<p>“I’ll first circle the field a couple of times.”</p>

<p>He proceeded to do so. Some moments later,
William cried, “Look they are waving.”</p>

<p>“Yes, it’s the boys. I can recognize Paul, Wallace,
Mr. Woods. They all seem to be there.”</p>

<p>“I’m going to land,” announced William.</p>

<p>“All right.”</p>

<p>William fixed his attention on the field and prepared.
Jack remarked, “Wonder why they are
hiding?”</p>

<p>“Perhaps because they are not sure we are the
ones flying this ship.”</p>

<p>“Very probable.”</p>

<p>William made a perfect landing and Jack and
he jumped out of the plane waving their handkerchiefs.
The boys ran out of their hiding places
and cheered the two young aviators. Tom Woods
looked on benignly and laughed. Funny, but he
had gotten to like these boys a great deal; it’ll
be tough, he mused, to leave them when the whole
mess was finally cleared up.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[226]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XXI</h2>

<p class="pch"><span class="smcap">Night Encounter</span></p>

<p>The boys and Tom Woods squatted on the
ground in a circle. They were pretty well satisfied
with their day’s accomplishments. There were
a few things yet left to be done. Paul, addressing
the government agent, said, “I guess it’s up
to you now to decide what’s to be done next.”</p>

<p>Tom fingered his bearded chin, smiled, and replied,
“Well I don’t know about that. It seems
to me that you fellows have done more to capture
and annihilate this gang of smugglers than I
have.” He paused and mused for a moment. “I
want to tell you boys,” he added, “that I’m mighty
pleased with you. I’ve never come across a more
lively, energetic and smart bunch of boys than
you are.”</p>

<p>There was an embarrassing silence. Wallace
spoke up and remarked, “It’s very nice of you to
say that, but I don’t think we are any different
than other boys. We are about the average, and
the average boy, if you give him a chance, is a
pretty lively chap and a nice person to have
around.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[227]</a></span></p>

<p>“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said Mr.
Woods. “Though, of course, I don’t know
whether you’re right or not. I hope you are.
However, this has nothing to do with the matter
at hand. Paul, what do you think we ought to do
now. It’s getting dark and we have to work fast.”</p>

<p>Paul hesitated. “I suppose all those wooden
cases and boxes in the cave have to be removed?”
he asked.</p>

<p>“Yes, of course. That’s very important.”</p>

<p>“In that case, we couldn’t do it tonight. In half
an hour, it’ll be pitch dark, and it would take
more time than that to load the stuff on the plane.
Once it gets dark, you can’t take the plane off the
ground.”</p>

<p>“Well, what’s your suggestion?”</p>

<p>“That we camp here overnight, keep careful
watch and do everything in the morning.”</p>

<p>“How about that fellow in the Bristol? You
think he may come back here for any reason?”</p>

<p>Most of the boys were undecided and Tom
Woods did not express his opinion but waited for
the others to say something first. William said,
“I don’t think he will come back. He must realize
that something happened to his companions and
that he will be awaited with open arms, so to
speak, if he returns.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[228]</a></span></p>

<p>Tom asked, “Any more suggestions?” Pause.
Silence. “I want you to express your opinions because
it’s very important. Although I have already
decided on what to do, you may bring to my
attention something I had forgotten to consider.”</p>

<p>Paul said, “Suppose you tell us your plan and
if any one of us thinks that it should be altered
we will speak up.”</p>

<p>“That’s well said. My plan is to take my prisoner
and the dead man in the car and go down
to the farm house. There I will pick up the other
prisoner, who is hurt and requires medical attention,
and the other dead gangster, and have the
town police care for them. All of that shouldn’t
take me more than about an hour and a half to
two hours. Then I’ll return, spend the night here
with you and tomorrow morning we will finish
our job.”</p>

<p>Ken said, “You can’t go alone. You will have
two prisoners and&mdash;”</p>

<p>“I didn’t expect to,” interrupted Tom. “I was
considering taking one of you boys along.”</p>

<p>“The plan sounds all right,” spoke up Paul.</p>

<p>“You think you could hold the fort until I return?”
the government agent asked.</p>

<p>Several of the boys grinned and nodded. Tom
laughed and muttered, “It’s foolish to ask, I
guess, but&mdash;”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[229]</a></span></p>

<p>It was decided that they would pitch camp for
the night a short distance above the cave. Ken
went with Tom Woods, Bobolink was left behind
to keep a watch at the cave while the others returned
to camp to get their knapsacks and things.
Just as soon as they returned, which was in a
little over an hour, William got busy preparing
supper for the boys, while the others went about
attending to other things. Around the campfire,
Nuthin’ said, “Now that this thing is over, what
are we going to do next?”</p>

<p>“P-p-plenty of things,” answered Bluff.</p>

<p>“And this thing is not over yet,” added
Wallace.</p>

<p>“You expect that guy to return?” queried
Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“You can’t tell,” spoke up Paul. “He may or
he may not. Most likely he won’t. But then we
have quite a bit of work for tomorrow.”</p>

<p>“Do you think we will be able to load all those
cases and boxes onto the plane?” asked Bobolink.</p>

<p>They all turned their heads in the direction of
the plane but it was too dark for them to see it.
Wallace assured them all with the assertion, “Of
course it will.”</p>

<p>“It will be a mighty heavy load,” responded
Bobolink. “Who will fly it?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[230]</a></span></p>

<p>“Who do you think?” demanded Nuthin’.
“There is only one fellow who is going to do it.”</p>

<p>They were all aware whom he meant, yet they
were eager to hear the name mentioned. The
question was on the lips of each one of them, but
only Bobolink asked, “Who?”</p>

<p>“William, of course,” replied Nuthin’ with
finality.</p>

<p>Soon Ken and Tom Woods returned. The boys
hailed them and wanted to know how everything
went. Ken burst out, “You should have seen Chief
of Police Bates&mdash;I mean his face; it turned all
colors as Mr. Woods told him who he was and
what it was all about. And his eyes&mdash;they almost
popped out of his head.”</p>

<p>“I can imagine,” interposed Jack.</p>

<p>“He wanted to send his whole police force to
watch the cave over night,” added Ken.</p>

<p>The boys laughed quietly. The government
agent sat down in front of the fire and stroked
his beard as he laughed to himself. Ken continued,
“Well, Mr Woods assured him that we didn’t
need any police protection&mdash;”</p>

<p>“Ha, ha, ha,” laughed the boys. “Police protection!
Ha, ha, ha,” laughed the youngsters and
slapped each other on the back.</p>

<p>“&mdash;and,” continued Ken, “Tha we would take
care of everything.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[231]</a></span></p>

<p>“Absolutely!” exclaimed one of the boys.</p>

<p>“We most certainly will”&mdash;that from someone
else.</p>

<p>Eventually the boys quieted down and they
sprawled around the campfire and talked aimlessly.
The conversation turned to the airplane and
William was asked, “How does she fly?”</p>

<p>“Swell. Beautifully,” was the answer.</p>

<p>“If we only had a ship like that!” dreamed
Bobolink.</p>

<p>Paul lay on his back and stared at the blue
sky and the stars. “If!” he muttered. “If! It’s
like asking for the moon. That plane is worth at
least anywhere between twenty and twenty-five
thousand dollars. More I think.”</p>

<p>“Twenty-five thousand dollars!” exclaimed Bobolink.
“Paul, you don’t know what you’re talking
about.”</p>

<p>“Why. You think it’s worth much more?”</p>

<p>“More? There isn’t so much money in the
world.”</p>

<p>The boys laughed heartily; even Tom Woods
enjoyed the humor of it. The agent remarked
casually, “Why, Bobolink, twenty-five thousand
dollars isn’t such an awful lot of money.”</p>

<p>“It’s plenty. Too much,” was the retort.</p>

<p>Again the boys laughed. The government agent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[232]</a></span>
said off-hand, “So you boys would like to have a
plane like that, eh?”</p>

<p>The boys stopped laughing and all of them sat
up and strained their ears. “What was that you
said?” asked Jack.</p>

<p>Tom Woods smiled, “I merely asked whether
you boys would like to own a plane like that?”</p>

<p>Some of the boys grinned at the very thought
of possessing such a machine. William said, “We
certainly would. It’s a beauty.”</p>

<p>“Well,” muttered the agent, “maybe I can fix
that.”</p>

<p>Several of the boys cried out simultaneously,
“How? How can you do it?”</p>

<p>“I don’t know myself,” replied the agent nonchalantly
and rubbing his chin. “I didn’t say I
could or that I would. I simply said maybe.”</p>

<p>“Oh!” sighed several of the boys.</p>

<p>They felt the wind taken out of their sails and
their possessing such a machine remained a dream.</p>

<p>They lingered around the fire a while longer.
Somebody remarked that it was time to turn in
for the night. Addressing the agent, Paul asked,
“Mr. Woods, do you think we ought to keep
guard all through the night?”</p>

<p>“What do you think?”</p>

<p>“My opinion is that we should. We can designate<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[233]</a></span>
now who is to be on the first, second, third
shift and so on and change guard every hour.”</p>

<p>“I don’t think it’s really necessary. I am pretty
certain that that pilot won’t return or any other
member of the gang. But&mdash;” he mused, “Of
course,” he added, “we could do it just to be on
the safe side.”</p>

<p>“I think we should,” spoke up Jack.</p>

<p>“How about it, fellows? Are you all agreed
that we keep watch?”</p>

<p>“Yes, of course,” agreed Bobolink.</p>

<p>“S-s-sure,” stuttered Bluff.</p>

<p>“Certainly,”&mdash;that from Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“Who will take the first watch?” asked Paul.</p>

<p>“I will,” cried Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“The second?”</p>

<p>“I,”&mdash;that from Bluff.</p>

<p>And so on. As it finally turned out the boys
were to go on guard as follows: Nuthin’, Bluff,
William, Wallace, Paul, Ken, Bobolink and Jack.</p>

<p>“You left me out,” interrupted the government
agent.</p>

<p>“You ought to rest, Mr. Woods,” explained
Jack.</p>

<p>“Well,” drawled the agent, “I guess I should.
But don’t any of you start shooting if I should
come upon you to pay you a visit any time during
the night.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[234]</a></span></p>

<p>Nuthin’ went on guard and the boys turned in
for the night. They were all rather tired and it
didn’t take them long to fall asleep. Bluff muttered
sleepily as he was awakened to go on
watch next. As soon as he walked off, Tom Woods
crept out from under his blankets, with the help
of some rocks and such things he formed the outline
of a person asleep and himself slinked out of
camp so quietly that no one was any the wiser.</p>

<p>Everything went along nicely and quietly until
it came to Paul’s watch. He sat on a stone and
listened carefully to every sound, watching intently
for any moving shadows. Suddenly the dull
echo of a pistol shot shattered the stillness of the
night. He jumped to his feet and grasped firmer
hold of the automatic in his hand. For several
seconds he debated what to do. He realized it
would be foolhardy to do anything himself. The
wisest course was to awaken the camp. He
sprinted to camp but Ken and William were already
up and pulling on their trousers. “What’s
up?” demanded Ken.</p>

<p>“What was that shot?” William asked
anxiously.</p>

<p>“Don’t know,” Paul replied hurriedly.
“Awaken everybody.”</p>

<p>Ken cried, “Wake up Mr. Woods.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[235]</a></span></p>

<p>Paul ran to do so but, naturally, he did not
find the agent.</p>

<p>The discovery so shocked him that for a moment
he couldn’t speak. Finally he regained his
voice and shouted, “Mr. Woods isn’t here!”</p>

<p>By now all the boys were awakened and they
came running up. They saw the stones and sticks
that the agent had used to shape a form resembling
a person. “Say,” cried Wallace, “what do
you think this is about?”</p>

<p>“What do you think he is up to?” questioned
Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“You don’t suspect him of doing anything
wrong?” William wanted to know.</p>

<p>Paul interrupted the argument and called for
silence. “Never mind quibbling, fellows,” he said.
“Let’s see what we can do. We have to do
something.”</p>

<p>“Let’s all spread out and make a thorough
search,” asserted Bobolink.</p>

<p>“That’s no good,” countered Jack. “Whoever
fired that shot might fire at any one of us in the
dark.”</p>

<p>“Wait a minute, fellows,” called Paul. “Let’s
first build a fire so that the camp will be illuminated.
Everybody, however, keep in the background
so that no one will be fired at. As for me,
I have an automatic. I’ll take Jack with me and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[236]</a></span>
we will go down to the cave and investigate. Wallace,
you have the only other revolver, haven’t
you?” The latter nodded. “In that case you remain
here and shoot any stranger who steps into
the circle of the campfire. Everybody else stay
out of sight.”</p>

<p>He wheeled around on his heel and was on the
point of proceeding when he stopped dead in his
tracks and stared at Tom Woods and another
man who was bound and gagged. The agent had
the light of his flashlight shining upon himself
and his companion. All of the boys were shocked
into silence and rooted in their tracks. The government
agent was quietly smiling. Breaking the
silence, he said, “You need not bother, fellows.”
Pause. “I am sorry I had to put one over on you.”
Again a short pause. “I have a visitor here; I
hope you don’t mind.”</p>

<p>“B-b-but,” someone stuttered, and it was not
Bluff.</p>

<p>“Never mind. I’ll explain everything. I heard
Paul suggest building a fire; I think it is a good
idea.”</p>

<p>In a short while, the boys had built a roaring,
blazing campfire. There was no sleep any more
so all the boys formed a semi-circle before the spitting,
burning logs. Tom Woods tied up his prisoner
hand and foot and removed the handkerchief<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[237]</a></span>
from his mouth. “Hungry?” the agent asked
his prisoner.</p>

<p>The man shook his head and growled. Tom sat
there placidly, his revolver in his lap. The boys
waited but the latter did not offer to speak. Finally
Paul ventured to say, “Do you, er, mind explaining
the mystery?”</p>

<p>The man grinned. “What do you want me to
tell you?”</p>

<p>“You might start at the very beginning and
save us asking you a lot of questions,” Jack said.</p>

<p>“Well,” he began, speaking low and lazily, “I
really had no idea that he would show up. And
by the way, this is the pilot.”</p>

<p>William and Jack nodded. They had suspected
it, but were not quite sure.</p>

<p>“As I was saying,” continued the government
agent, “I really had no suspicion that he would
return. But I figured that if he did take it into
his head to do so, what would be his object? He
certainly would not take it upon himself to rescue
his friends. That would be foolish and stupid. But
if he still insisted on coming, he would have a good
reason for doing so. For example, he might want
to get something, something valuable. Then where
would he go?”</p>

<p>He paused and waited for someone to answer.
Jack did, saying, “To the cave.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[238]</a></span></p>

<p>“Quite right,” responded the agent. “Therefore,
not wanting to take any chances, I decided
to guard the cave all night long. But I also didn’t
want to scare you boys in case one of you should
discover that I was gone. So I used the stones and
sticks to give the impression that I was still here
and fast asleep.”</p>

<p>“But why didn’t you tell us?” demanded
Wallace.</p>

<p>“I didn’t want you boys to be uneasy.”</p>

<p>He waited for more questions but none were
asked. Jack said, “Do you mind continuing?”</p>

<p>“There isn’t much left. He came and I nabbed
him.”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ wagged his head. “But why should he
come?” he asked. “Seems to me that only a fool
would do that, under the circumstances.”</p>

<p>“Yes, that’s right,” added Bobolink.</p>

<p>The agent smiled. “He’s really no fool and he
had a very good reason for coming.”</p>

<p>“What?” Several of the boys shot that question
simultaneously.</p>

<p>“A big bunch of money. Maybe ten, fifteen or
twenty thousand dollars. Perhaps more. I haven’t
counted it yet.”</p>

<p>“Where is it?”</p>

<p>“In the cave. I guess it is perfectly safe until
morning.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[239]</a></span></p>

<p>There was silence, some of the boys, especially
Bobolink, trying to imagine how much money
twenty thousand dollars was. Jack asked, “But
how do you know he came to get the money?”</p>

<p>“That’s simple. I watched him until he found
what he was looking for and then I showed myself
and told him who I was. And he very courteously
and promptly surrendered.”</p>

<p>“What about the shot?” asked Paul.</p>

<p>“That was his fault,” and the agent nodded in
the prisoner’s direction. “He accidentally discharged
his gun.”</p>

<p>For some while the boys sat there humbly,
silently thinking over Tom Woods’ story. Paul
rose, stretched himself and yawned. “Some
night!” he drawled. “I’m going back for some
more sleep.”</p>

<p>All the other boys did likewise, except Bobolink
whose watch it was. And after him, Jack.</p>

<p>In the morning, Tom Woods took his prisoner
to town and returned in about an hour, carrying
under his arm a small package. When asked what
was in the package, he merely said that it contained
several sticks of dynamite. But when
pressed to tell what he was going to use it for,
he laughed and replied, “Wait and see.”</p>

<p>Instead of loading all the cases of guns and
boxes of ammunition onto the plane, the government<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[240]</a></span>
agent had a truck come from town to transport
the load. It took the truck driver and the
boys several hours to cart all the cases and boxes
from the cave to the truck. When it was at last
done, the agent called the boys together and said,
“Now you’ll see the purpose of the dynamite.”</p>

<p>He strung together the several pieces of dynamite,
attached a fuse to it and buried the bundle
of explosives at the mouth of the cave; then he
laid out the fuse for about twenty feet and lit it.
As he did so he and the boys retreated some distance.
“Why are you doing that?” asked Jack.</p>

<p>“To shut up the mouth of the cave.”</p>

<p>“Yes, but what for?”</p>

<p>“To prevent anyone from using it again as
those smugglers did.”</p>

<p>“But the rear exit of the cave will be available,”
asserted Wallace.</p>

<p>“You boys stuffed it up, didn’t you?”</p>

<p>“Yes, but somebody is liable to find it.”</p>

<p>“They’ll have a hard time finding it.”</p>

<p>Jack asked, “It would be all right if we used
the cave occasionally&mdash;that is, using the rear exit,
and closing it up when we left, would that be all
right?”</p>

<p>Tom Woods smiled. “As a matter of fact,” he
drawled, “I had that in mind when I decided to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[241]</a></span>
close up the front entrance to the cave. Otherwise
I would blow up the whole thing.”</p>

<p>Just then there was an explosion and the front
part of the cave fell in. The boys sighed and
walked to the plane. They all climbed in and William
took the pilot’s seat. The agent relaxed in his
seat and said casually, “Now show me what a
good pilot you are, William.”</p>

<p>The motor roared. William taxied the plane
across and then lifted it off the ground. Tom
Woods leaned back in his seat and closed his eyes;
a deep sigh escaped from between his lips and he
relaxed utterly, all the tenseness and anxiety of
these last days leaving him.</p>

<hr class="chap" />

</div>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[242]</a></span></p>

<div class="chapter">

<h2 class="p4">CHAPTER XXII</h2>

<p class="pch">“<span class="smcap">The Cave</span>”</p>

<p>William circled the airport. Paul looked out of
the window and cried. “Say, look at that crowd of
people below!”</p>

<p>The boys looked down and uttered exclamations
of surprise. “I wonder what it’s all about?”
exclaimed Wallace.</p>

<p>“Perhaps it’s a committee to welcome us,” asserted
the government agent, opening his eyes as
he spoke.</p>

<p>“To welcome us!” Bobolink cried. “What
for?”</p>

<p>Ken shouted to the pilot, “Just keep on flying,
William. Never mind landing. We don’t want any
welcoming committee.”</p>

<p>William guided the plane down to a perfect
landing. Just as soon as the machine came to a
stop, the crowd came running toward it. The boys
were swallowed up by the mass of people. There
were reporters, newspaper photographers and
other cranks who asked them a thousand questions
and tore at their clothes and hair. But the boys<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[243]</a></span>
did not mind all that. They were afraid for the
safety of the plane. Although it was not theirs
yet, it was a valuable machine and it would be a
shame if it were harmed in any way.</p>

<p>However, Major McCarthy and two of his mechanics
pushed their way through the crowd.
Without stopping to greet them, he called upon
the boys to help clear a path to wheel the plane
into one of the hangars. “It is much safer than
leaving it out here,” he added.</p>

<p>The boys fell to and the machine was stored
away. Then they had a hard time getting through
to the office. Most of the boys were angry rather
than pleased by the reception. “I wish I knew
what this is all about,” demanded Ken.</p>

<p>The Major smiled. “Perhaps you are not
aware of it,” he informed them, “but you are
heroes.”</p>

<p>“Heroes!” exclaimed Bobolink. “What kind of
heroes?”</p>

<p>McCarthy shrugged his shoulders, “I couldn’t
tell you what kind. Just plain heroes, I guess.”</p>

<p>Nuthin’ waved the suggestion of heroism
away. He had a word for it. “Phooey!” he muttered
under his breath.</p>

<p>“But how did the news get out, that is something
I should be interested to know.”&mdash;that from
Paul.</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[244]</a></span></p>

<p>“I guess the police couldn’t keep it from prying
reporters,” mumbled the government agent.</p>

<p>“Let’s forget it and go home,” remarked Jack.</p>

<p>“That’s a swell idea,” added William. “And
just as soon as I get home&mdash;”</p>

<p>Ken interrupted, “You are going to do what?”</p>

<p>“Practice the piano,” suggested Nuthin’.</p>

<p>“He will change his tie,” counter-suggested
Paul.</p>

<p>“&mdash;I’m going to take a bath,” concluded
William.</p>

<p>The boys laughed and Tom Woods joined in.
“What are you going to do now, fellows?” he
asked.</p>

<p>“Go home,” answered Jack.</p>

<p>“I mean, what are your plans?”</p>

<p>“We don’t have any,” Paul informed him.</p>

<p>Using two cars, the Major’s and one belonging
to a mechanic, Tom Woods and the boys were
taken to town. At police headquarters, Tom got
out. “So long, boys,” he called. “I’ll be seeing you
soon.”</p>

<p>The boys waved. The agent walked off and
they continued their way home.</p>

<p>At the home of each of the boys, a similar
scene was enacted that day. Coming home, Paul
found his mother waiting for him. As soon as he
stepped over the threshhold, she fell on his neck<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[245]</a></span>
and kissed and hugged him. Putting his arms
around her, he found that she was trembling. Not
knowing the reason for it, he was puzzled. He
said, “Mother, is there anything wrong? You are
trembling all over.”</p>

<p>“There is nothing wrong with me. It’s you.
Are you all right? Not hurt or wounded or anything?”
she questioned anxiously.</p>

<p>“Why, no! Of course not. I’m perfectly all
right.” And to prove it he began to go through
a series of stretching and bending exercises.</p>

<p>His mother looked sternly at him. “The idea
of the thing!” she exclaimed. “You said you were
going camping and all the time you knew that you
and your friends were going there to catch a gang
of smugglers. You might have gotten hurt. You
might even have been killed.”</p>

<p>“But, mother,” protested Paul, “nobody was
killed or hurt. All the boys are perfectly all right
and in the best of health.”</p>

<p>“Well, it’s a good thing. But, big as you are, if
you ever do that again, I’m going to have your
father give you a good thrashing.”</p>

<p>Dr. Morrison, who had just entered, laughed.
“My dear,” he said, “if it ever comes to that, I’m
afraid I would get the worst of it. He is taller
than I by a head and weighs about twenty-five
pounds more.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[246]</a></span></p>

<p>“I would never do that, dad,” protested Paul.</p>

<p>“I know you wouldn’t. But if you ever took it
into your head to&mdash;Well, I hope you never do.”
And again he laughed.</p>

<p>For the following several days, the boys were
made miserable by the public acclaim that was
showered upon them. They could not appear on
the street; that was out of the question. To set
foot outside the house meant to be immediately
surrounded by an ever increasing crowd, with
every individual wanting to shake the boy’s hand,
slap him on the back, pinch him, and ask a thousand
questions. But staying in the house was almost
as bad. The capture of the smugglers had
aroused national interest and many out of town
reporters suddenly appeared and they went to the
home of each boy to get a story; accompanying
the reporter was a photographer to take pictures.
The boys were tired of answering questions but
they couldn’t very well refuse&mdash;it seemed that
getting the story meant so much to the reporter.
Then, also the homes of the boys had overnight
become exceedingly popular and all day long
there was a continual coming and going of
visitors.</p>

<p>On the third day, a car appeared in front of
Paul’s home and Major McCarthy jumped out.
“Come on, Paul,” he said, “let’s go.”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[247]</a></span></p>

<p>“Where to?”</p>

<p>“The airport.”</p>

<p>“What for?” Paul was curious.</p>

<p>“You’ll find out when we get there,” the Major
answered with a twinkle in his eye.</p>

<p>At Jack’s home Paul ran inside to call his chum.
“Come on Jack, the Major is outside and we are
going to&mdash;”</p>

<p>Jack was at the moment in the living room
answering the questions of a neighbor. “Never
mind,” he said, interrupting, “don’t tell me where
we are going, just so long as we go somewhere.”</p>

<p>So they went from home to home, picking up
the boys who piled into two cars, the Major’s car
and Mr. Carberry’s car with Wallace at the wheel.
The boys riding with the Major prodded him for
some information as to why they were going to
the airport, but he only smiled and shook his head
“Wait until you get there,” he answered them.</p>

<p>At the airport, the boys were a buzzing group
of children as they followed the Major to the
office. As they stepped inside, they found Tom
Woods leaning back in a chair and quietly smoking
a cigarette. He laughed and greeted them,
“Hello, fellows,” he called out.</p>

<p>“Hello, Mr. Woods.”</p>

<p>“How are you, Mr. Woods?”</p>

<p>“What are you doing here?”</p>

<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[248]</a></span></p>

<p>Turning to the Major, the boys asked, “Well,
now what? What’s the surprise?”</p>

<p>McCarthy smiled. Pointing a finger at the government
agent, he said, “It’s his surprise, fellows.
You tell them, Tom.”</p>

<p>Woods lifted himself out of his seat. “Very
well, then,” he drawled. “Let’s go down to the
hangars.”</p>

<p>The boys eagerly followed the Major and Tom
Woods. At the hangars, Bobolink cried, “Look,
fellows. The smuggler’s plane&mdash;she is still here.”</p>

<p>“Yes,” replied the agent, “She is still and
what’s more, she is remaining here.”</p>

<p>“What do you mean?” asked Paul.</p>

<p>“Well, the ship now belongs to you boys.”</p>

<p>The statement knocked the breath out of them.
Suddenly they all exploded simultaneously and
shouted questions. “What do you mean she is
ours?”</p>

<p>“How?”</p>

<p>“Why?”</p>

<p>“How come? Tell us.”</p>

<p>Tom Woods smiled. “Just what I said, fellows.
She is yours and don’t ask questions.”</p>

<p>“Hooray! Hooray for Mr. Woods!” cried
Nuthin’.</p>

<p>And the boys cheered him lustily and vigorously.</p>

<p>Caustically, the agent remarked, “I hope that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[249]</a></span>
some day you will be kind enough to give me a
ride in her.”</p>

<p>“We will,” they answered and laughed heartily.</p>

<p>Wallace, however, was a bit puzzled. “But,
Major,” he asked, “What about the plane you
were supposed to buy for us.”</p>

<p>“I almost did,” was the reply. “But when Tom
told me, I cancelled the deal. Now you can use
the money to run this plane.”</p>

<p>“Hooray!” they cheered.</p>

<p>The boys were happy. They walked around the
machine and caressed it. “We ought to give it
a name,” suggested Jack.</p>

<p>“How about calling it ‘Stanhope’?” asked Paul.</p>

<p>“No, that name is not a very good one,” objected
Ken. “You have the Stanhope Drug Store,
the Stanhope Vegetable Market, the&mdash;”</p>

<p>“How about calling it ‘The Cave’?” Jack had
spoken and all the boys looked. “You get my
meaning?” he asked.</p>

<p>“Of course.”</p>

<p>“Certainly. That’s just the name for it.”</p>

<p>“It is settled,” said Nuthin’. “We will call it
‘The Cave’. Are there any objections?”</p>

<p>There were none. They were all eager to take
off, and ten minutes later “The Cave” was taxiing
across the field, rising from the ground like
a beautiful bird.</p></div>

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