“Just like you seemed to believe we might have a sudden call for service,” went on Andy.
“Hardly that,” Frank sent back over his shoulder, as he dove inside the building, “you know my maxim is to be ready always, for you never know when the emergency is going to jump out at you. These things nearly always drop down like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.”
“That’s right, Frank. But there’s nothing wrong here, is there?”
“Doesn’t seem to be,” and Frank, who had hurriedly moved about from one side of the aeroplane to the other, sighed with relief, and so loud that Andy heard him.
“But you were afraid there might be, own up now, Frank?” he exclaimed, quickly.
“Well, I didn’t know but that Jose might have made his way in here last night and damaged the biplane. He sure would if he’d known how we could use it to chase after him, five times as fast as he could go on his pony. You know how easy it is to put such a thing out of commission, Andy. And Jose must have been prowling about here while we were asleep.”
“Wonder how it was Tige didn’t scent him, and give him a chase?” remarked Andy, referring to the faithful watch dog that as a usual thing, played the part of sentinel over the ranch house, when the night grew old, and every inmate slept.
“Which reminds me that we haven’t seen the old fellow this morning, Andy.”
“Great governor! that’s a fact!” exclaimed the other, excitedly. “Say, I wouldn’t put it past that yellow-faced Mexican kidnapper to poison poor old Tige. When they come to look, chances are they’ll find him lying stiff in his kennel.”
“But we’ve got no time to talk that over now, Andy,” said the other. “Lend a hand and we’ll trundle the thing out to the starting place. Plenty of gasolene aboard, you know, because I filled the reserve tank yesterday, thank goodness. Here comes Mrs. Ogden with a package in her hand.”