CHAPTER XVII
GALLANT ANDY
"Good morning, Chief!" said the prisoner, with a cool grin.
The Head of the Bloomsbury police force looked so utterly amazed that
Larry and some of his mates could not help laughing.
"Didn't expect to find Jules waiting up for you on the way back, did you, Chief?" asked Andy, with perhaps a touch of sarcasm in his voice; for to tell the truth the boy did not have a very high opinion of the stout man's abilities in the way of thief catching, though liking him well enough as a genial townsman.
"Well, I confess that I never expected such great good luck," admitted the other. "And now, boys, tell me just how it happened."
"Oh! he dropped in on us, Chief," Andy went on.
"And liked the accommodation afforded by the Birdsnest so well that he concluded to stop over," Larry remarked. "Frank here, expected something of the kind, and got ready to receive visitors."
"You mean he set a trap?" asked the official, looking admiringly at the party in question.
"Well," Larry drawled, "I guess you could call it that, and not get far off the road. It had a trigger all right, and when Jules touched this off a nice heavy plank that was like a log dropped, and pinned him down on his chest. We found him gasping for breath, and his gun with a broken lock."
"Gun! Then he was armed, and creeping into your shop!" exclaimed the other, with a frown toward the grinning and apparently indifferent prisoner. "That looks bad, now. What would he want to carry a gun for, if not to injure you boys? And where d'ye suppose he got it at?"
"Oh!" Frank remarked, "he says he entered a farmhouse, and hooked a suit of old clothes, so he could throw away the striped ones. And at the same time he helped himself to that old musket, thinking he might have to hunt game while he hid in the woods."
"Look here, Frank, wasn't you telling me about some villain who fired a shot up at you boys when you were flying over the Powell woods?" asked the Chief.
"That's so, and we believe it was Jules, all right," Andy took the liberty of saying; for when excited he could not be kept still.
"But he wisely declines to commit himself, so there is no proof," Frank went on. "And at any rate, what's the use bothering about that little thing? There was no real harm done, except a little scare. And I think Jules will have about all the trouble he wants to handle without adding any to it."
He looked at the prisoner, perhaps with a touch of feeling. At any rate, to the surprise of them all, Jules actually smiled, and made a declaration that proved he had been using his eyes and ears since coming among the campers.
"I just want to say right here, Chief, that I was a fool to bother about these boys. I got what I deserved. I should have left them alone. And mark me, that if ever I have the luck to escape again never will I turn one hand to injure them. Now take me to your old lockup. I want to sleep."
So they took him to the car, and that was the very last the Bird boys ever saw of Jules Garrone, once a well-known French aviator, until he fell into evil ways. No doubt he was returned to the penitentiary, where he would have to serve an additional length of time because of his flight.
Of course the talk for an hour or more was all about the recent adventure. But in due course of time Andy began to get uneasy.
"We're losing a fine chance for a spin, Frank!" he grumbled, glancing up at the sky, across which here and there clouds were slowly moving, but with no indication of coming trouble.
"Well, do you know," smiled the other, immediately, "I was just thinking that same thing myself. Suppose we do hitch up, and take a drive in our aerial go-cart, Andy. There are a heap of little things I'd like to experiment on before that race comes off with Percy."
"All right. And the sooner we start the better," Andy flashed back. "What d'ye say to going all over the course this morning? It would only be the right thing; and when rowing clubs train for a race they always study the course foot by foot, so as to learn the currents, the hidden rocks, and the chances for head winds. Will you take me up on that, Frank?"
"If you mean that we head across to Hazenhurst, and interview that liberty pole Percy lays so much stress on, I'm willing. Then again, I want to try for height while we're about it. We don't know just what this biplane can do, or how it'll act when a mile or so up."
"Huh! I didn't see anything the matter when we landed on top of the peak," remarked Andy. "Sure she was all to the good then. Frank, honest Injun now, I'm more in love with this outfit than I ever was with our first one. I can see possibilities about a biplane that a monoplane never can own."
"Wait," said Frank, "the proof of the pudding is in the eating. After we've had this a week we can begin to talk. Just now it's up to us to study her every little whim, and try to improve on things."
The other boys were taking turns in going home and "making the acquaintance of their folks," as Larry quaintly put it. But there would be a couple of them at the shop all the time. Of course there was now no danger from Jules, since he had fallen upon evil ways; but as Larry said mysteriously, "you never could tell," and everybody knew whom he had in mind, although no name was mentioned.
The Bird boys had that running start down to a fine point. Frank had made an especial study of it, so as to rise in the air with as little ground work as possible. And this was what served him well on many occasions—for instance when on the plateau of Old Thunder Top, where the level space was limited.
So they rose quickly and successfully. Andy gave a yell of satisfaction, to indicate that his confidence in the new aeroplane was being strengthened every minute that he saw her strong points being developed.
They rose to a considerable height before starting away in the direction of Hazenhurst. It looked just like a homing pigeon seeking an altitude, from which it could find its bearings, before starting in a bee line for its loft far away.
Andy was using the glasses, while Frank drove the machine, and studied every little part, touching a straining wire guy here, and tightening a valve there, as he noted minute chances to improve conditions.
It was this complete mastery of the subject that gave him such control over his aeroplane; so that when he chose he could develop unexpected resources of speed, or ability to successfully carry out difficult feats.
"I can see the town easy enough from here," announced Andy, presently.
"Am I headed right?" asked the pilot.
"Just send her a trifle more to the northwest. There, now we aim straight for Hazenhurst," Andy called out; for the motor was crackling, and besides, there was more or less noise arising from the stiffened planes, so that it became necessary to raise the voice in order to be easily heard.
So, for some little time they went humming merrily along, just "eating up the miles," as Andy remarked delightedly.
It was a great sensation for these two lads; but having been at this now for so long a time they fairly overcome the thrill that is apt to seize upon a novice.
Frank had dropped down to a lower level. Since they were now passing over territory that they had never before looked down upon from such a height, it was just as well that they keep to that distance from the earth which would probably be their course during the race that Percy had forced upon them.
And all the time they drew nearer the town that was to be their goal. Both boys had been there once or twice. But this was years back when they used to wheel all around the surrounding country during vacations. They had now gone a long ways ahead of pedaling a bicycle. After once soaring through the air in a biplane no one could ever be content to go back to the old ways.
"I can see the commons," announced Andy, who was using the glass. "Yes, and there's the liberty pole too, right in the middle. See that big green stretch, Frank? Will you drop lower, and circle it while we're over here?"
"Why not? Might as well go the whole thing when about it," returned the other, as he continued to test first one thing and then another.
"On the way back let's put her to her level best speed, and see just how long it takes us to cover the thirty miles," Andy suggested.
"All right," was the ready reply; "but before we do that I'd like to drop down to the ground for a bit. I can see several slack guys that will be all the better for being tightened a little. Like every other new machine, this needs constant attention to bring things up to their best."
"Oh! well, what's to hinder our lighting on the green, and giving the good people of Hazenhurst a chance to see a genuine aeroplane. I don't believe one ever came up here before," Andy remarked.
In a short time they were skimming along over the tops of the trees, and even dipping lower when openings appeared.
"Going all right, Frank?" asked Andy, anxiously, as they drew within a mile of the town; for if they expected to be watched by hundreds of curious eyes he wanted everything to work smoothly.
"Just running like clock-work," the other announced.
"I haven't heard you say a single word against this biplane," remarked
Andy.
"Why should I?" laughed Frank. "I may not be so outspoken as you about my likes and dislikes, but I feel as deeply. And, Andy, I want to say right here that this machine is a whole lot ahead of anything I've ever seen, or handled. She moves like a witch, and answers her rudder like a thing of life. Why, I almost feel that I'm a part of the whole business, and that I have only to think a thing when it is executed."
That was high praise from so conservative a fellow as Frank, as his cousin well knew; and it filled Andy with rare delight.
"Oh! look down there, Frank!" he suddenly cried, pointing beneath them, to where there was an open field.
Looking quickly Frank saw a sight that filled him with dismay. A young girl was crossing the open stretch, and as her back was toward them, of course she had not as yet discovered the presence of the biplane.
Racing back of the girl, and evidently meaning to overtake her, was a savage-looking dog; and it required no effort on Frank's part to understand that the intention of the brute was decidedly hostile.
Frank was a lad of prompt action. He instantly sent the aeroplane downward, aiming for the running dog; and at the same time starting to shout at the top of his voice, in which last Andy joined with him.
The animal, attracted by the clamor, looked up, and seeing that monster bird as he believed swooping down at him, turned tail with frightened yelps and ran away.
There was nothing for it now but to alight, since they had already darted close to the earth; and accordingly Frank proceeded to accomplish this feat as gently as possible.
It happened that the biplane came to a stop close to the girl, who was standing there staring, as though hardly understanding what it all meant. Andy hopped out the first thing even though he happened to be holding the monkey wrench in his hand at the time, having snatched it up in his excitement when he first discovered the threatening peril of the girl.
He had just reached her side, and was starting to speak when a warning shout from Frank, still in his seat aboard the aeroplane, caused Andy to look around.
"The dog! Take care, he's going to attack you!" was what Frank shouted.
Apparently the ugly beast had already recovered from his fright, when it discovered that human beings were aboard the strange airship. He had halted a little distance away, and then, as Andy actually headed toward him, started to meet the newcomer.
There could be no mistaking the evil intentions of the beast, he was of the savage bulldog strain, and from the cut of his mouth it could be seen that just now he meant business. And as Andy could not retreat, with that pretty girl standing there unprotected, he just had to raise his monkey wrench and wait for hostilities to begin.