A daring aeronaut who takes his life in his hand and never knows where he may alight, no doubt learns to put himself in a position so that he can defend himself against possible dangers. And while the boys had been holding up the two thieves, he was, with more or less agony, no doubt, extracting this little “persuader” from its hiding-place and advancing toward the scene of action.
Here was something well calculated to awe the two convicts. They might feel more or less contempt for a few boys, even if armed with wicked-looking cudgels of various shapes and patterns; but the owner of the property they were trying to carry off was another matter, especially when backed up with a dangerous up-to-date weapon of which they, if anybody, should know the value.
“Drop everything you’ve picked up there and clear out, before I open fire on you!” was what the nervy professor told them. And if his voice lacked power on account of what he had recently passed through, surely the fire flashing from his eyes must have told the two miserable men that he was accustomed to having his words obeyed.
Hugh thought he saw a chance to put in a clinching argument just then.
“And be quick about it, too, if you hope to get out of sight before the wardens come up,” he urged, just as though his boyish heart had begun to pity the condition of the hunted wretches. He was looking again and again in the same direction, so that Arthur, yes, and both of the other scouts, actually began to wonder if this was, after all, only a clever piece of acting on his part, or if he really glimpsed several husky fellows in the uniform of prison guards coming on the run.
The men saw that their little game was up. Circumstances had turned out unfavorable to their plan for securing all that valuable plunder, and surely to remain at liberty was the most desirable thing they could now hope for.
First one man flung down something he held, half angrily.
“Easy there!” cried the aeronaut, who was covering them all the while. “Don’t you try to smash what the fall of the balloon spared, or I’ll hold you here prisoners and hand you over to the wardens when they come up. Put the rest down gently; do you hear me?”
They hastened to drop everything they held; and then, fearful lest he might be tempted to carry out his terrible threat, they started on the full run,—“scooted like scared rabbits,” Billy said later. A quick “click” announced that Arthur had scored again with his camera, hastily secured while the runners were yet in full sight.