This is more of a trick than most boys would suppose.  The next time you are on a speeding electric car throw a stone at a telegraph pole just as you are passing it, and see how much beyond the missile will alight, because of the momentum it received because of the fact of its starting from the moving car.

Andy had this pretty well figured out, and knew just when to launch his weighted message.  He turned his head, and tried to follow it downward as well as he was able because of the fluttering white paper.

“It’s going straight there, Frank, I do believe!” he exclaimed, as he managed to get the powerful glasses up to his eyes, and fairly followed the progress of the message, though quickly losing it again.  “Yes, and the crowd there on the green must see it coming, because already a bunch of 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 to take it as a sign that we’re going to come out of this scrape as we generally do, with our colors flying.”

Frank usually allowed himself to feel the fullest belief in his own abilities; 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 sound that came to the ears of the two young aviators.  They were again making nearly full speed; though Andy felt pretty confident that, had it been necessary for Frank to coax an additional unit or two of “hurry” from the gallant little Kinkaid engine, it would respond to his efforts.

“My! but we must have covered a lot of distance since we started,” was the 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 field on the Hoskins farm, Andy.”

“Two hours, Frank; now, what d’ye think of that?  Why, I never would have believed it if you’d told me.  Do you think my watch has jumped on ahead?

“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,” said Andy.

“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 to sight the big lake away; ahead there inside of ’half an hour more, I should think?” Andy ventured to say, and he was thrilled when his companion, turning toward him just at that moment, went on to say: 

“Perhaps in less time than that, Andy; with the glasses you might glimpse it even now!”

CHAPTER XX