"I give you credit for getting one on me there, Andy," he declared.

"Then you believe I hit the right nail on the head, do you, Frank?"

"Well," remarked the other, "come to think of it, Percy did have a
little limp; and I guess he tried to hide it the best he could, for I
remember seeing him wince several times. But how about Sandy, who never
tried to get out of the car once, and didn't even open his lips to say a
single word?"

"I bet you he got a double dose, and is pretty sore this morning." Andy
went on. "You seemed to think it was kind of hard lines for Felix to
give 'em a load when they were pretty far off, and just climbing over
that fence; but it tickles me every time I think of it. Seemed like the
whole bunch just fell over after he shot; and like as not each fellow
got his share of the Number Eights somewhere in his legs. But how about
this job the Chief asked us to engineer, Frank? Are we going to start
off on that little spin up the lake; and d'ye guess we could get a
pointer about where the two thieves have gone?"

"We might try, anyhow; no harm in that," was his cousin's reply, as he
turned once more toward the hydroplane that lay near by.

"I remember we had great luck that other time, when we discovered that
the men who broke into Leffingwell's place were hiding in that old cabin
up in the woods. Perhaps the same story might be repeated, who knows?
They call it the Bird boys' luck, Frank; but then, we work for all we
get, and ought to have a little credit when we win out. If we made a bad
job of things, the same people would be quick to say we didn't know our
business. Shall we go back to the shop first?"