there was
not a sign of a storm.

If that had been a fog in the far distance which Frank had sighted, the
breeze must have long ago dissipated it entirely.

Lower sank the sun, until it was now not more than half an hour above
the horizon, if its stay could be measured in the way of minutes and
seconds. Oh! if only the friendly tug would come in sight amidst the
foam-crested waves! It was really getting to be too much of a good
thing, trying to keep the hydroplane from keeling over, with those waves
breaking against the frail planes. If this kept up much longer, Frank
was very much afraid that Percy Carberry would not be the only boy in
Bloomsbury to mourn the loss of an airship.

When, therefore, Andy gave a sudden shout, and announced that he
believed he had seen the smoke of the tug wreathing above the waves, all
of them looked considerably relieved, even Casper himself; for on second
thoughts the yeggman must have decided that it was better to be alive
and in prison, than dead, and under the waters of Lake Ontario.

In five minutes they could all see the smokestack of the powerful tug,
and for fear lest it should pass by and not do them any good they
shouted hoarsely in unison.

"They hear us!" exclaimed Andy, whose position, somehow, allowed him to
see better than any of the others, "yes, they've changed their course,
and are heading this way now. It's all right, Frank; we've won out, I
guess!"

But Frank was keeping an eye on the two men. He did not mean to give
them even the slightest chance to play a trick in the eleventh hour.
Frank Bird was a pretty hard fellow to catch napping, he usually had his
eyes open, and especially when he knew there was danger around.

The tug came booming on, and they could see that there were quite a
number of people aboard.

"What if some of them are from Bloomsbury?" suggested Andy. At which his
cousin laughed.

"You didn't stop to think twice before you made that break, Andy," he
remarked. "Tell me, by what conveyance could they have got to the lake
ahead of us, when we came through by lightning express at the rate of
nearly a hundred miles an hour at times? But I can see they are
expecting to take charge of our friends here, because there's an officer
aboard. Just keep where you are, Casper; your goose is cooked, and
there's no need of making matters worse."

The man settled back again with a growl, and then burst out into a
reckless laugh.

"Small difference it m