"Too long a story to tell just now," declared Frank. "The colonel knows,
and perhaps he'll amuse you after we've gone."

"Oh! say, are you meanin' to take after them fellers that busted the
bank safe, and then got away with Percy's biplane?" asked Elephant
eagerly; "don't I wish though I could just hang on behind, and be in the
swim for once. You two seem to have about all the fun there is going,
hang the luck, say I?"

"Well, you'd better not try it, that's what!" said Andy, shaking his
head threateningly at the bare suggestion of having Elephant aboard when
they made a start.

"I think we've got everything now, Andy," remarked Frank, anxious to be
off.

"Hope you're taking guns along, because if you do run across them hobo
fellers you'll be apt to need them right bad," Larry went on to say,
also looking downcast at having to miss all the sport simply because
Nature had never intended him for an aviator, as he was inclined to get
dizzy when looking down from any height.

"Oh! Frank's provided for that, and besides, we don't really expect to
round the thieves up, just find out if they've dropped down anywhere
inside of thirty miles to the north of Bloomsbury. Shall I get aboard,
Frank?"

"Yes; and after we're off, Larry, will you and Elephant do me the favor
to step around to my house, and tell my folks that the Bird boys have
hired out as scouts to Chief Waller? Tell dad that we'll be mighty