se
being left behind, something Elephant never liked to have happen; so
that he was unable to say even a single word for a full minute after
arriving alongside the hangar.

"Tell us, have they learned anything new since the Chief started off?"
asked Frank, as usual right to the point; and in this way cutting off
the myriad of questions which he knew both the newcomers were primed to
ask.

"Why, yes," gasped Larry, while Elephant nodded his head as if to say he
agreed to all that was said, "after Percy came bustling around, asking
for the Chief, and telling how somebody had busted into his place, and
run off with his biplane in the night, they got to talking it over, and
wondering if it could have been the robbers, and if one of 'em knew how
to handle such things. So they called up the city, and asked questions.
In that way they learned that there was a yegg who had been suspected of
having been connected with several other jobs, though they never could
just put the kibosh on him, and his name is Casper Blue, and one time he
used to be an actor, and then became a pretty well-known flier, but in
an accident he broke his arm, and had to give up his business. He was
always a crooked sort of feller, and after that just boozed around,
joined in with hobo gangs, and they believe touched up a few jobs
himself. There, that's all we know; and now, what you been doing?"

"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 t