“Glad to hear it,” said Pudge; “because I don’t want to know I’ve been instrumental in standing a poor fellow up before a file, and getting him filled with cold lead. Tell us about it, please, Frank.”
“After we’ve captured the man we’ll get word to the civil authorities, saying we’ve caught a thief in our hangar, and asking them to keep him safe for two or three days. I’ll go and see the Major myself, and get him to promise that the man will be treated only as a thief and not as a spy.”
“You’ve guessed the answer, Frank,” announced Pudge, with the enthusiasm he always showed when the leader of the aviator boys blazed a trail out of some wilderness in which they had lost themselves.
“Then the sooner we get busy the better,” hinted Billy, again working that good right arm of his as though it might be rapidly getting beyond his restraint.
“We have no firearms, though,” suggested Pudge.
“There’s no need of any,” Frank told him. “I’ll hold this wrench in a way that’ll make it seem like a six-shooter. The rest of you can help pile on the man when we drag him out of the locker, either feet or head first, it doesn’t matter which.”
“Just give me a chance to sit on him, that’s all!” threatened Pudge, at which Billy could be heard to chuckle, as though he pitied anyone who went through that far from enviable experience; perhaps Billy knew from his own associations with Pudge what such an operation meant.
“Now, here’s the way we’ll fix it,” began Frank. “I’ll step over again to the other side of the hangar to work at the motors of the Sea Eagle. Pretty soon you’ll hear me calling to you both to come around and see what a clever little arrangement I’ve fixed up.”
“Which will, in other words, mean the fun is about to begin?” commented Billy.
“When you join me,” continued Frank, “we’ll jabber for a minute, during which I’ll say we might as well go to town and get something decent to eat at noon. That will be apt to put him off his guard. Then we’ll all tiptoe over to the locker, and at a signal throw the door open. As soon as you glimpse him, take hold, and start to pulling like a house afire. That will keep him from trying to fight back or use his weapon, for I guess he’ll have a gun of some kind. Understand it all, boys?”