“The answer I want,” said Bill slowly, “is how I am going to land and park this bus when we get there, if some more of your cut-throat pals are hanging round the house.”
“I never thought of that,” admitted Charlie.
“I didn’t think you would. Turn your mighty brain on it. If you guess the right answer I’ll ask Mr. Evans to give you a lollipop.”
Bill paid no attention to the forth-coming torrent of sarcasm from Charlie. His headphone set lay on the floor of the cockpit.
Chapter IV
GAINING AN ALLY
“Twin heads, Charlie!” said Bill, resuming his headphones sometime later. The Loening was flying in from the Atlantic. Bill had thought it wiser than trailing up the coast for all eyes to see.
“Our house is over there to the left on the other side of those woods,” returned his companion from the rear cockpit. “Did you find the answer, old groucho?”
“No, I did not, fat boy. As the poet has it, we’ll be guided by circumstances as we find them.”
He banked to port and leveling off, sent the amphibian speeding over the treetops in the direction indicated. He was flying low now, barely a hundred and fifty feet above the ground. His intention was to make a quick landing if things looked propitious, rather than to advertise their presence to these mysterious enemies of Mr. Evans by spiraling down from a higher altitude.
“There’s the house!” called Charlie.