“Lang,” he said, “I saw an airplane in the grove at the edge of that last field we crossed. Circle back, won’t you?” As Lang turned from jotting down some data, Bob added: “The ship hasn’t crashed. It’s in among the trees—backed in. I caught a glimpse of it, and then the trees hid it. I’d like to have another look.”
“Surest thing you know.”
Lang, twenty-one and an expert flyer, grinned at his sixteen-year-old cousin, dipped ailerons, kicked rudder and with a good “bank” as the craft swung its nose around, he deftly counteracted a tendency of the ship to go into a sideslip, jotted down some information on his data board and then looked out of his window.
“There’s the field,” he said. “I don’t see a crate there!”
“That’s why I told Al and Curt it’s a mystery,” Bob replied. “The ship has been hidden! Its tail is in between trees, and the wings are under trees with high branches. I don’t believe it could be seen from the highway that runs by the field. I know it wouldn’t be noticed from the air, except by chance.”
“Hm-m-m!” grunted Langley, “I’ve heard of hidden treasure, but this is the first hidden ’plane——”
“There!” Bob pointed past Lang’s face.
“I see it!” Lang continued to circle, in order to get another sight of the mysteriously hidden ship. As they came around again Al and Curt located it also.
“It’s staked down!” Al, although he was the youngest, not much past thirteen, had the quickest eyes of the group. “I saw the stakes, and rope over the wing-tips.”
“The engine was covered over,” added Curt.