“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 were heading their way, as if meaning to investigate, and find out what manner 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 new feathers in place of the lot they lost that time they fought us so savagely.”

The memory appeared to amuse his cousin also, for he could be heard laughing heartily, even above the purr of the now steadily going motor that sent the propellers whizzing around so rapidly; for there was one fore and aft, as is the case with all biplanes, the engine being behind the pilot and his companion.

“Tell me if you can remember, was that other aeroplane headed straight up the lake the last you saw it in the early morning light?” Frank asked.

“That’s right, Frank; but then I couldn’t say just how long they kept along that same course.  When those hundreds of old crows came sailing along on the wind, cawing to beat the band, and going every-which-way, I lost sight of the biplane.  After that it would have to be just guess work.”

“But we’ve got a good pointer to start with,” insisted Frank.  “They wouldn’t be so apt to head toward the south, east or west, because in those directions there are plenty of towns and villages, and these could report seeing a strange biplane passing over, so giving the police a clue.  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 just comb the whole district over, and anything that looks like the stolen aeroplane is sure to catch our attention from this height, don’t you think so, Andy?”

“I reckon it will, Frank; but the only thing bothers me is that things may 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 with them, the more the pity.”

“Well, it’s never been a habit of ours to own up beaten till we’ve done everything under the sun to win out.  And Andy, we’ve only started as yet.  The field is before us, you know, with a whole day’s supply of gas to 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 robbers have 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 with Bloomsbury Headquarters.  The Chief as much as promised that he’d leave word there to put us wise to anything that had been learned by way of the telephone, from other places.  And given a clue in that way, we might take a fresh spurt, you know.”

“Just so, Andy,” agreed the other, bending his head to watch how some part of the machinery was doing its duty; for that is always the weak link in modern aviation, nearly everything depending on the engine fulfilling its part perfectly.