OVER LAND AND SEA

“Are you joshing me, Frank?” demanded the other Bird boy, as he swung eagerly around, so as to fix his glasses upon the far off horizon ahead of them.

“I certainly am not, Andy; but please be more careful how you move.  You gave me a punch in the ribs just then that sent a cold shiver all over me.  Don’t forget that we’re not stretched out on the ground under an apple tree taking an afternoon doze.  Well, what do you see?”

“Frank, I do believe you’re right about that lake business!” exclaimed Andy.

“Then you can see it?” asked the other, himself more than anxious, because of the fact that the fleeing bank robbers who had stolen the biplane of Percy Carberry apparently intended to escape over the line into Canada, even if to accomplish their purpose they had to daringly cross Lake Ontario, many miles wide, a feat as yet only successfully done by one or two bold fliers of national repute.

“I sure can; and the way we’re heading it’s a dead open-and-shut thing that we’re just going to swing out over the water before another hour passes.  Whew!”

Andy finished his sentence with this significant exclamation.  It was as though not only the novelty of the thing but its thrilling nature staggered him.  The Bird boys had flown under many strange conditions, but as yet they had not made a water flight.

There is and always must be a vast difference between passing over the land, with its forests, hills, valleys, plains, cities and villages, to starting out over a wide stretch of inland sea, with only the tumbling waves far below, and new as well as untried currents of air to meet and conquer.

More than a few times Andy Bird had expressed a wish to have just such an experience.  It would be a novelty, something entirely new in their line, and which would give them possibly delightful thrills.

But now that the chance seemed opening up before them, he found himself viewing it with considerable apprehension, as well as delight.

Of course it made considerable difference that they should be chasing after a desperate pair of rascals, rather than simply trying to accomplish a flight from United States territory to that belonging to Canada.  There was always the chance that these men might turn upon them, and succeed in doing something to injure the hydroplane, causing it to drop into the midst of that inland sea.

Strange how small things often insist upon thrusting themselves forward when some sort of peril threatens.  The very first thing Andy seemed to think about was the fact that they did not happen to have any life preservers aboard the craft.  Not that there was one chance in a thousand they would ever need such things around Bloomsbury, though there was Lake Sunrise to be reckoned with; but just then it struck the boy that every well equipped aeroplane ought always to carry a couple of rubber rings along, which, in moments of dire necessity could be blown full of air, and would serve to sustain wrecked aviators until help came.