CHAPTER VIII
JUST BELOW THE CLOUDS
"Good luck to you, boys!" came floating up from the ground, above thebuzzing of the busy little Kinkaid motor; and looking down, they couldsee Larry, Elephant, yes, and the old veteran also, carrying onexcitedly, as they swung their hats around.
"Who're you waving your handkerchief to, Frank; does your best girl keepher eyes on the skies all the day long, looking to see you come around?"demanded Andy, humorously.
"Yes, that's my best girl, as sure as you live; and she's standing thereon the porch of our house right now, waving to me--Aunt Laura, whothinks just as much of me as any mother could. But Andy, neither of ussaid anything when Larry told about that hobo aviator named Casper Blue;yet he answered the description the bank watchman gave of the smallerman who had a stiff arm."
"Oh, I noticed that, all right, even if I didn't look your way,"returned Andy, promptly. "It sort of clinched the nail we drove throughdidn't it, Frank?"
"Seems like it," the other went on to remark. "And the chances are tento one, we've got the story down fine right now, know who one of therobbers was, why they wanted to steal an aeroplane to make theirget-away in, and all that. But there are a few things we don't know,that'd throw a little more light on the affair."
"As what?" queried his cousin.
"Well, for one thing, the Chief seemed to think the thieves might havehad inside information, they seemed to know so much about thingsconnected with the bank, our having an aeroplane, where we lived, whatour habits were, and then about Percy's biplane in the bargain. Now,that's something serious; if there's a man in Bloomsbury who's in leaguewith such rascals he'll be apt to help them out again later on if theyget away with this job; and he ought to be found out."
"Whew! looks like we've got a big job on our hands if we hope to do allthat sort of thing," commented Andy, with a whistle to indicate hisfeelings.
"Nobody said we even think of trying," laughed Frank, as he stoppedmounting upward in spirals, and headed away toward the north.
It was a glorious view that they had now spread out beneath and aroundthem. Neither of the Bird boys ever tired of such wonderful sights; andalthough by now it had become an old story, they enjoyed it as much asever, even if their former sensation of awe had given way to one offamiliarity.
They could see the entire outlines of beautiful Lake Sunrise, with itsmany coves, and points jutting out, the water glistening in thesunlight, as the morning breeze fanned it gently.
Why, yes, there was the little lake steamboat called the Mermaid,passing along the northern border of the lake, on the way between thetown of Cranford, on the shore opposite Bloomsbury, and headed toward asmall lumbering camp far up the left bank, possibly to deliver supplies,after which she would point her nose down toward the home town, whichwas of more importance than any other station on Lake Sunrise.
The boys did look back, dear though the scenes around home must ever befor them. It was characteristic of these lads that once they put theirshoulder to the wheel, or in other words, their hand to the plow, theywould not allow themselves to be discouraged by thoughts of the hometies. That accounted for much of the success that had been their portionin the past. They could for the time being forget that there was anysuch place as home; and in this way they avoided the weakness that suchthoughts are apt to bring along in their train.
Forward their way lay, toward those forbidding wilds far to the north,where few towns could be found, and pretty much all the country was avast wilderness, filled with picturesque forests, wild swamps, andrugged hills.
It was just the country where desperate law breakers would choose as ahiding-place, after they had committed some crime, and expected a warmpursuit. Ordinary methods would never find them, save through a merechance; but when one can copy the eagle, and mount to dizzy heights,with a pair of powerful glasses he can see almost everything that isgoing on for miles and miles around, provided he has a skilled companionalong to manage the aeroplane or balloon.
And that is destined to be the greatest value of these winged messengersin future years, since it has been proven that they are not so verydangerous after all in the line of dropping explosives upon battleshipsor fortified places.
"Somewhere up yonder, Frank, they are probably hiding, and feelingperfectly safe from pursuit," ventured Andy, who was sweeping the marineglasses around and examining the country ahead with more than commoninterest.
"Look how Old Thunder-top stands out today!" remarked Frank, turning forjust an instant to glance upward toward the left, where the highmountain towered, its heavily wooded sides looking as gloomy as ever,and the white cliffs that made the summit inaccessible to human feet,appearing almost dazzling in the glittering light of the undimmedmorning sun.
"And say, there's our old friends, the eagles that had a nest up there,and gave me such a warm time when we first reached the top." Andy cried,as he focused his glasses on a sweeping pair of huge birds that wereheading their way, as if meaning to investigate, and find out whatmanner of rival this could be, invading their native element.
"They know too much to bother with an aeroplane by now!" declared Frank,laughing again. "Why I'm thinking those birds have hardly grown newfeathers in place of the lot they lost that time they fought us sosavagely."
The memory appeared to amuse his cousin also, for he could be heardlaughing heartily, even above the purr of the now steadily going motorthat sent the propellers whizzing around so rapidly; for there was onefore and aft, as is the case with all biplanes, the engine being behindthe pilot and his companion.
"Tell me if you can remember, was that other aeroplane headed straightup the lake the last you saw it in the early morning light?" Frankasked.
"That's right, Frank; but then I couldn't say just how long they keptalong that same course. When those hundreds of old crows came sailingalong on the wind, cawing to beat the band, and going every-which-way, Ilost sight of the biplane. After that it would have to be just guesswork."
"But we've got a good pointer to start with," insisted Frank. "Theywouldn't be so apt to head toward the south, east or west, because inthose directions there are plenty of towns and villages, and these couldreport seeing a strange biplane passing over, so giving the police aclue. No, chances are ten to one they kept right on toward the north.And there's where we've got to do all our searching today. We can justcomb the whole district over, and anything that looks like the stolenaeroplane is sure to catch our attention from this height, don't youthink so, Andy?"
"I reckon it will, Frank; but the only thing bothers me is that thingsmay have worked all right with the rascals, and by now they're away off,so far distant that we'll never in the wide world get in touch withthem, the more the pity."
"Well, it's never been a habit of ours to own up beaten till we've doneeverything under the sun to win out. And Andy, we've only started asyet. The field is before us, you know, with a whole day's supply of gasto push us on, if we want to keep going. So I'm not asking any favors,and expect to do just my level best to find out where the bank robbershave gone."
"And if we hunt around a whole lot without getting tabs on the pair,why, we can drop down somewhere in a town, and get in touch withBloomsbury Headquarters. The Chief as much as promised that he'd leaveword there to put us wise to anything that had been learned by way ofthe telephone, from other places. And given a clue in that way, we mighttake a fresh spurt, you know."
"Just so, Andy," agreed the other, bending his head to watch how somepart of the machinery was doing its duty; for that is always the weaklink in modern aviation, nearly everything depending on the enginefulfilling its part perfectly.
Andy continued to make use of the pair of glasses that magnified objectsin the far distance so wonderfully that a man could have been recognizedeasily a mile away, and perhaps much further, if the air were realclear.
Now and then he turned them to the right. The beautiful lake alwaysattracted him very much like a magnet would, whenever he had a chanc
e tolook out over its glistening bosom.
And there was the little steamer, just as Frank had said; why, he couldeven distinguish Todd Pemberton up in the pilothouse, grasping his wheeland guiding his charge among the shoals that were charted in thenorthern end of the lake as dangerous, that is, for green hands at thetiller or wheel of a boat propelled by sails, steam or gasolene.
They were moving in a line that would carry them up along the shore, andconsequently every minute they drew nearer the small lake steamer thatwas heading toward them.
Passengers could be seen on its deck, and possibly every eye was gluedjust at that particular moment on the aeroplane that was buzzing gosteadily northward; perhaps it might have been the first time some ofthese people had ever seen such an interesting object; but in the regionaround Bloomsbury it was by now a common sight, with such enterprisingyoung air pilots as the Bird boys and Percy Carberry in the field almostevery decent day.
All at once Frank was heard to utter an exclamation.
"Turn your glasses straight ahead, and see what that can be flutteringamong the bushes at Norton's Point, Andy!" he called out hastily.
When the other had swung around, and covered the region spoken of, hequickly gave the desired information.
"Somebody seems to be shaking a handkerchief or something else white,"he observed. "And it don't look like just waving at the steamer either,for they do it after a system, as we would signal with wigwag flags.There, I counted seven times he did it; then comes a halt, and one, two,three times, another halt; and once more he starts in, this time three,four, five, and then stops. Now, what do you suppose the fellow means bythat, and who can he be waving to, Frank?"
"You'd expect it might be some one out on the lake; can you see anysmall boat in sight, Andy; or any one waving back from another point?"
"Not a thing, as far as I can see," replied the boy with the marineglasses.
"Suppose you try the steamer, then," suggested Frank, meaningly.
Immediately Andy gave an exclamation of astonishment.
"I see a signal moving, Frank, and it seems to be copying the one onshore," he hastened to remark, excitedly.
"Where does it come from, the passengers that I saw pushing up againstthe rail, and staring at us; are any of them interested, do you think?"continued Frank, who just then could not turn his head to look, but mustdepend on his chum.
"Well, no," answered Andy, "it seems to come from the pilothouse, andmust be Todd Pemberton, himself."