“Don’t want you to come down. We’ve been bluffing that I don’t know you and it may help. Anyway it won’t get you into trouble if any of the gang should see you again. I’ll have to get this fellow locked up and make a report. I’m no end obliged to you. If you hadn’t been on the look-out I might have had a nasty fight all by my lonesome. Wish you’d get away as soon as you can and drop this to my chief. You did me a mighty good turn and the department will appreciate your further service. Weight it down with these rocks, if you haven’t anything better. I picked them up when I was cuffing our friend over there.”
“Glad to. We’ll keep a look-out from the air and you watch us. If we see any more surprise parties coming your way, we’ll do a tail spin,” Jim said softly.
“Thanks, but I fancy those fellows are willing to call it a day. Don’t know why I’ve been picked out to bump off, but they may be planning to pull something in my territory during this beat. I’ll be moving.” He raised his voice and handed the note to Jim, then began in a louder tone. “Sure, I suppose your father is the President of the United States, but you beat it back over your own line and if you don’t you’ll wish he had the power of triplets.”
“Aw,” growled Jim.
“Smoke bomb,” Bob added with relish as the throttle was opened and Her Highness got under way.
Further pleasantries were cut off by the thundering of the motors but the younger boy leaned over ostensibly to make faces at the officer, while his eyes searched the vicinity. He saw Pat still penning the captive to the earth, but not a glimpse did he get of another human being in the neighborhood. The plane zoomed a thousand feet, leveled off and headed for the Post the boys had seen a few days before. Jim had the stones, which he wrapped with the paper in his handkerchief, and then he knotted the note inside.
“All quiet on the front?” he asked his step-brother.
“As a mid-summer night’s dream,” Bob replied, then added. “I see the post, Buddy.” Jim nodded for he too had picked it out and already Her Highness was gliding to a lower level. Down she rode swiftly, until she was only five hundred feet in the air, then they noticed the man-on-post come out, and level his glasses upon them. Jim raised his arm, and at the right moment he dropped the message over the side, and brought the plane about in a half circle, while they both watched the thing, the corners of the handkerchief standing out like a pair of rabbit’s ears as it tumbled to the earth.
“He’s got it,” Bob shouted gleefully. A second man had come out of the hut and the boys saw them inspecting the present they had received so unexpectedly. The first man waved his hand and ducked into the house, and the boys, quite satisfied with the morning’s work, grinned at each other.
“I’m empty, Buddy,” Jim announced as they sailed off. The boys took a route almost straight west, and in half an hour they were above a rugged region which the map informed them was in the State of New York. They selected a plateau with little timber and some kind of stream. They glided to the landing place, and presently Her Highness was standing like a great wild bird, poised on the hill. The boys hopped out of the cockpit, looked about to make sure that there were no warnings posted to keep off the premises, then out came the basket.