Finally came the well known sign that the message was done; and that the sender awaited the wishes of the party with whom he was in communication.
Paul turned upon his comrades. They saw that the frown had come back again to his usually smooth forehead, as though he had learned something to add to the perplexities of the problem they were trying so diligently to solve.
"It's Jud," he said, simply, "and he's just sent an astonishing message. This is the way it ran, boys: 'Presence here known. Man in aeroplane passed over camp. Went down lake half hour ago. Out of sight now. Answer!'"
No wonder Bobolink fairly held his breath, and the other five scouts looked at each other, as though they could hardly believe their ears. For a full minute they sat there and stared; while Bobolink remembered the far-away black object that, at the time, he had thought to be a buzzard.
CHAPTER XXIII
STILL FLOUNDERING IN THE MIRE
"Whee!"
It was, of course, Bobolink who gave utterance to this characteristic exclamation.
Like most of the others, he had been so stunned by the message read by Paul, that for the moment he failed to find words to express his feelings.
An aeroplane had passed over the camp! And heading south, which would take it toward the quarter where Stanhope lay!