“Glory-gosh!” he exclaimed, staring.
There, neatly arranged, was the row of chewed bits of gum!
CHAPTER VIII
SANDY MEETS A “SUSPECT”
“Hello, boys!”
Sandy and Dick, standing by the airplane on the beach, whirled to see a short, stoutish man in regulation flying togs come unexpectedly into view from behind an inshore hillock of sand.
“As I live and breathe!” the man continued, “I’m seeing things!”
His gaze was bent on the aircraft.
Sandy discerned instantly that he was looking at the pilot who had handled the control job on the amphibian during the recent excitement.
The stranger had a pleasant, round face, with eyes that twinkled in spite of the creases around them that showed worry. No wonder he was worried, Sandy thought: having deserted the craft they had foiled in its attempt to get the gems, the man had returned from some short foray to discover his craft replaced by another.
“Howdy!” Dick greeted the stranger and replied to his exclamation. “No, sir, you’re not seeing things! At least you’re not if you mean the airplane near where the amphibian was——”