CHAPTER XIX
DROPPING A "BOMB!"
"Oh! we've started to swoop down on them! Honest to goodness, I don'tbelieve they're more 'n half as far ahead as they were, Frank!" criedAndy, thrilled by the sight of the other biplane being so near.
"Just about that," said Frank, quietly, the busy motor having decreasedits merry hum, so that they could talk without raising their voices verymuch.
"Then you must have let out an extra kink, did you, Frank, when I wasbusy with my bombs?" demanded the other.
"Oh! no," came the answer, "the fact of the matter is, Andy, they havedropped off a lot of their speed, and that's how we covered spacequicker."
"Something gone wrong with Percy's new Gnome engine, then, has it; andhe blew his horn so about what wonders it was going to do? Huh!" andAndy chuckled in his boyish delight.
"No, I don't believe that is the reason they've slackened their speed,Andy."
"Trying to save gasolene, then?" pursued the other.
"Hardly that, either, Andy."
"Oh! now I see what you mean, Frank; the poor old greenhorn's got coldfeet, and is making Casper slow down. He thinks that there's less chanceof a tumble if the speed is reduced; just as if that could make anyparticular difference."
"I reckon you're away off yet," persisted Frank.
"Then, for goodness' sake won't you tell me what they have cut notchesout of their speed for; because I'm all balled up, and blessed if I canthink of another thing! Oh! look at that, Frank! Sure as anything I sawa puff of smoke then. There must be something the matter with theirengine, and they're getting scared. I wouldn't be surprised a mite tosee them settle right away, and try to land."
"Well, you saw smoke all right, and if you'd listened sharp, you'd haveheard a sassy little bark at the same time, Andy."
"A what, Frank?"
"Call it a snarl, then. Take up your glasses, Andy, and look; while Idrop out even a little more of our speed, so we'll fall back further."
Hardly had Andy clapped the glasses to his eyes than he gave vent to anexclamation of mingled amazement and alarm.
"That greenhorn is looking this way, Frank, and as sure as goodness he'spointing at us right now. Oh! he did something then, for I saw anotherpuff of smoke, and it came right from his hand. Why, he's shooting atus, Frank! That must be a gun he's got in his hand, and he's trying tohit us! If our motor didn't keep up such a constant whirl we might haveheard the whine of that lead when it went singing past us!"
"Yes, perhaps we might," Frank went on to say, composedly.
"But what can we do?" demanded the other, nervously.
"Nothing more than decrease our own speed as often as they do, and playthe game of tag backwards. If they get going it too strong, why, just asI said before, I'll turn tail, and head back toward Bloomsbury, daringthem to follow, which you can be sure they won't, because our town is amighty unhealthy place just now for Casper Blue and his pal. There! hefired again."
"That makes three times he's tried it, Frank!"
"And I guess he can try the other three without doing us any damage,Andy."
"You believe that, do you?" asked the one spoken to.
"Sure thing," Frank replied positively. "Why, it would be one chance inten thousand that he could strike any part of our aeroplane at thatdistance, going as both of us are, and with only a revolver. I'd bewilling to let him blaze away all day, without being a bit afraid. ButI'm bound that the two air crafts must keep at least this distanceapart."
The man in the other airship did fire three more times, but without anysuccess whatever. And as though the rival navigator realized thatFrank's tactics would effectually prevent his coming into closer contactwith the pursuing craft, he no longer tried to close in, but increasinghis speed, was quickly about the old distance away.
Whereupon Frank Bird also hit up the pace cautiously.
"That's the ticket!" cried out Andy, presently. "I guess we're holdingour own again now. For a little while I began to be afraid that theywere going to just make us take their dust, and give us the merry ha-ha,vanishing in the distance. But now I know you've got the twist of thething down fine, Frank, and can haul up on the biplane, or drop back,just as you feel like."
For a long time they kept on, neither saying anything, for talking isalways more or less of an effort when speeding along in an aeroplane,with the wind striking one in the face.
Frank had had no time to fully adjust the muffler which he usually woreabout his neck when about to soar to a dizzy height, so he would have todo the best he could; and besides, there was little chance of the otheraeroplane venturing to bore upward to any unusual degree, all theefforts of the bank thieves being directed toward making their escape.
He did have his goggles adjusted, however, which was a good thing, sincehis eyes must have watered very much from the cold air; and this isconsidered an ever present source of danger to one who manipulates thelevers of a mile-a-minute aeroplane.
"We seem to have dropped a good deal lower, Frank," remarked Andy, afteranother space of time had elapsed.
"Yes," remarked the pilot, tersely.
"And I'm looking now for a good chance to make use of one of my bombs;don't you think it's about time to try the scheme out?" Andy continued.
"Just as you feel like," replied Frank.
"Then at the very next town, or place that looks like it had telephoneconnection with the outside world, I'm going to have a try. Might havedone it when we passed over that last place where the people were allwaving things up at us, and we could just hear a confused shouting. Ibet you, Frank, they just thought this was a regular air contest, with aprize offered to the winner."
"Well, it is," observed the other. "If we win, we take back ourprisoners; and on the other hand, if they come out first best they getaway to Canada with their liberty and their plunder. Yes, it's a race,all right, Andy, a test of skill and endurance; and perhaps the best manwill win."
"Then I know who that will be," declared Andy, enthusiastically.
"Don't be too sure," warned Frank, though it must have pleased him toknow that he possessed the fullest confidence of his cousin and chum,who had been his constant companion on so many expeditions, and mustunderstand him like a book.
"What if they keep everlastingly at it, and night comes on?" askedAndy, presently.
"Well, there's the moon, though I don't like chasing along this wayafter sundown; and if we're put to it, we've got our fine search-light,you must remember," Frank replied.
"There, I believe we're going to pass right over another town, Frank!"
"It does look that way, for a fact," admitted the other. "Casper doesn'tsee any reason why he should bother changing his set course due northbecause he happens to pass a few towns away up here in the northern endof the State. Let the people stare all they want to. He's been used tohaving crowds gape at him, you know, and rather likes it. Besides, if hegets away, what does it matter?"
Andy prepared himself for the little job he had on hand.
As he had practiced throwing stones from the aeroplane while at a greatheight, just to see how near he could come to hitting a certain placefar below, so as to ascertain what chance aviators would have of makingbombs tell in war times, the boy believed he would be able to drop hismessage pretty accurately in some open place, close to where thetownspeople were clustered. And seeing it fall, some one would be sureto hurry over to secure the mysterious object.
"Here goes our old broken wrench, which has been hanging around solong!" declared Andy, as, leaning carefully over, he measured distanceswith his eye, and suddenly let the object slip, taking care to make allallowances for their speed.
This is more of a trick than most boys would suppose. The next time youare on a speeding electric car throw a stone at a telegraph pole just asyou are passing it, and see how much beyond the missile will alight,because of the momentum it received because of the fact of its startingfrom the moving car.
Andy had this pretty well figured out,
and knew just when to launch hisweighted message. He turned his head, and tried to follow it downward aswell as he was able because of the fluttering white paper.
"It's going straight there, Frank, I do believe!" he exclaimed, as hemanaged to get the powerful glasses up to his eyes, and fairly followedthe progress of the message, though quickly losing it again. "Yes, andthe crowd there on the green must see it coming, because already a bunchof boys has started to jump that way. They'll find it easy enough,Frank. Now, what d'ye think of that for a successful bomb throw?"
"Good enough for you, Andy," was the hearty response. "And we'll have totake it as a sign that we're going to come out of this scrape as wegenerally do, with our colors flying."
Frank usually allowed himself to feel the fullest belief in his ownabilities; at the same time he always wished to avoid over-confidence.
Again time passed on, and the hum of the busy motor was the only soundthat came to the ears of the two young aviators. They were again makingnearly full speed; though Andy felt pretty confident that, had it beennecessary for Frank to coax an additional unit or two of "hurry" fromthe gallant little Kinkaid engine, it would respond to his efforts.
"My! but we must have covered a lot of distance since we started," wasthe next remark from Andy. "How long do you suppose we've been going,Frank?"
"Look and see. It was just five minutes after one when we left the fieldon the Hoskins farm, Andy."
"Two hours, Frank; now, what d'ye think of that? Why, I never would havebelieved it if you'd told me. Do you think my watch has jumped onahead?
"No, because we've been hustling right along all of that time, I guess,Andy."
"Keeping everlastingly at it, and headed due north all the while," saidAndy.
"As straight as a die; they never varied their course even a little bit,as far as I could see," the pilot declared.
"But we've covered an awful lot of apace, Frank!"
"I guess you're right there," admitted the one addressed.
"And, Frank, if we keep on this way, and nothing happens, we ought tosight the big lake away; ahead there inside of 'half an hour more, Ishould think?" Andy ventured to say, and he was thrilled when hiscompanion, turning toward him just at that moment, went on to say:
"Perhaps in less time than that, Andy; with the glasses you mightglimpse it even now!"