The Warning Message
Although their flight as stowaways in the airplane was one of the most
dangerous and perilous adventures that had ever befallen the Hardy boys,
it was at the same time the most monotonous.
Back there in the darkness they could see nothing and they could hear
very little except the roar of the engine. They were not uncomfortable
and they did not suffer from lack of air, but it was not a pleasant
sensation to reflect that they were high above the earth, wholly at the
mercy of the rascals up in the front of the plane.
The plane dipped and rose, banked and turned. There were racks,
presumably for the accommodation of baggage, to which the lads clung, so
that at no time were they thrown off balance.
“If we get to tossing around in here, they’ll notice something wrong,”
said Frank.
Their weight was evenly distributed and presumably Giles Ducroy did not
see that his plane was somewhat tail-heavy. If he did, it is probable
that he blamed the airplane itself, for it was strange to him.
After about an hour in the air, the boys were obliged to seize the
racks, for the nose of the machine tilted downward and they were almost
flung ahead as the plane descended. Finally there was a slight shock,
and the plane bumped its way over a field. They could hear men’s voices,
then the engine was shut off. They judged that Ducroy and the others
were clambering out.
“Now,” they heard Ducroy saying, “I guess it’s safe enough for me to go
and telephone.”
“Who are you going to telephone to?” asked Newt Pipps.
“I’m going to call up Jed. He’s at the Bayport airport. I’ll tell him to
be ready for the night of the twenty-eighth so he can call us up when
the time comes.”
“I don’t like the idea of having so many outsiders in on this,” Newt
grumbled. “It means we’ll have to split the loot too many different
ways.”
“Outsider!” snapped Ducroy. “Jed isn’t an outsider. How could we get
along without him? We’re going to make a killing before long, and a lot
of the credit will be due to him.”
“You’re right,” agreed Ollie Jacobs. “Shut up, Newt. We can’t get along
without Jed. If you were half as much help as him we’d get along fine.
You’re always kicking about something.”
This reprimand silenced Newt Pipps for the time being. The Hardy boys,
listening, heard the three men move away.
When the footsteps and voices could no longer be heard, Joe heard
Frank’s voice from the darkness:
“I wish I knew how long they’re going to be away. I’d like to get out of
here and stretch my legs.”
“So would I. It’s mighty cramped in here. But if they’ve just gone to
telephone I don’t think we should take the chance.”
Frank opened the door in the side of the plane and looked out.
“I can see them now. They’re walking across the field toward one of the
hangars.”
“Where are we?” asked Joe.
Frank shook his head. “I don’t know. There seems to be a fair-sized town
close by, but I’ve never seen the place before. I can see factory
chimneys and church steeples.”
“Let’s have something to eat.”
Joe opened their package of sandwiches, a bottle of milk, and the bottle
of water. Each ate of the frugal meal with enthusiasm, for they were
hungry by now. When they had eaten they felt better, and in spite of the
discomfort of their quarters they began to enjoy the novelty of the
adventure.
“If only Chet and the other fellows could see us now!” said Joe.
“They’d be green with envy.”
“I’m not sure our position’s enviable.”
“We’re not out of the woods yet, by any means,” agreed Frank. “Ducroy
and the others are apt to find us at any time. We’ll have to sit mighty
tight.”
“If only we knew what they’re up to! It must have something to do with
the Bayport air field. They’ve evidently got a confederate there,
keeping in touch with him by telephone.”
“I think,” said Frank, “I’ll get out and stretch my legs a bit.” He
opened the door a little wider and was just about to scramble out when
he gave an exclamation and hastily drew back again, closing the door.
“What’s the matter?” whispered Joe.
“They’re coming back!”
Both boys were silent. They could hear voices, gradually growing louder.
Frank wondered if he had been seen. Ducroy, Newt Pipps and Ollie Jacobs
had not been more than a hundred yards away when he opened the door.
“There’s no room in the hangars,” Ducroy was saying, “but we’ll stay
here overnight just the same. There’s a hotel not far from the field.
Then, in the morning, we’ll get under way again.”
“What time?” asked Jacobs.
“About eight o’clock. We’ll have breakfast and then start again.”
“I don’t see why we can’t stay right here until we’re ready for the big
job,” grumbled Newt Pipps. “What good does it do flying around from
place to place?”
“If the police pick us up you’ll wish we had kept going,” declared
Ducroy. “We can’t afford to be nabbed now. We’ve simply got to keep
clear of the cops until the night of the twenty-eighth. After that we’ll
scatter, and each take his own chance. The police will be looking for us
hot enough then.”
“They sure will,” agreed Ollie. “Well, let’s go on over to the hotel.
The plane is all right here, ain’t it?”
“Sure. It’s safe enough overnight. We’ll come back after breakfast and
get under way again.”
The men moved off. After a while, when Frank Hardy peeped out again, he
saw them going through a gate on the far side of the flying field,
evidently heading toward the town. He breathed a sigh of relief.
“That’s a bit of luck,” he said to Joe. “We don’t have to stay cooped up
in here all night. As long as we get back here well before they show up
in the morning everything will be fine.”
“Where can we stay? We can’t go to the hotel. I don’t think it’s even
wise to go into the town at all. If they ever catch sight of us it will
spoil everything.”
Frank scrambled out of the plane. He walked about, enjoying the feel of
solid ground beneath his feet again. Joe followed, and immediately
turned a handspring to express his delight.
“Makes you feel good, doesn’t it?” said his brother, grinning.
“I’ll tell the world it does, Frank! Gee, I feel as cramped as a sardine
in a tin.”
“So do I.” Frank stretched himself. “Say, we were mighty lucky they
didn’t discover us.”
“Right you are. If they had—well, there is no telling what they would
have done.”
“They might have killed us, Joe.”
“Oh, maybe not as bad as that. But they might have tied us up in the
woods and left us there.”
“They are a bad crowd.”
“I agree with you.”
The brothers took a look at their surroundings from every side.
“We’d better move away from the plane,” advised Frank. “Some of the
mechanics at the hangars may see us and tell Ducroy. I think our best
bet is to go to that farmhouse on the other side of the field.”
“Perhaps we can use the telephone there, if they have one.”
In the fading light, the boys crossed the field, climbed over the fence
and made their way toward the farmhouse. As they entered the barnyard, a
collie dog ran toward them, barking. He was a friendly animal, however,
and as he approached he wagged his tail and fawned on them. A stout,
cheery-looking man was standing in the doorway of the house.
“Hello, boys,” he shouted. “What can I do for you?”
“Have you a telephone?” asked Frank.
The farmer nodded. “You’re welcome to use it,” he said, then added: “As
long as you pay the charges.”
“We’ll do that all right.”
The farmer led them into the house and indicated the telephone in the
hall.
“Talk away,” he said. “I saw you coming over from the flying field,” he
remarked shrewdly. “Why didn’t you use the telephone there?”
“Private reasons,” replied Joe.
The farmer did not move away while Frank put in a call for Chief Collig
at Bayport. At mention of the chief’s name he seemed interested, and
when Frank finally got the chief on the wire, he listened with all his
ears.
“Chief Collig?” asked Frank. “This is Frank Hardy speaking.—No, we
haven’t jumped bail.—What’s that?—We’ll be back in good time.—The
reason I’m calling you is to warn you to keep a good watch on the
airport on the night of the twenty-eighth.—I can’t tell you why.—There
is going to be some trouble.—I don’t know anything more about it than
that.—It will be worth your while to make use of this warning.—Where
am I speaking from? I can’t tell you. And listen, Chief, will you call
up my mother by telephone and let her know that I called you and that
Joe and I are all right?—Thanks. Good-bye.”
When Frank rang off, he saw that the farmer was regarding him curiously.
“Looks as if you boys are smarter than you seem,” he remarked. “What are
you? Detectives?”
“I suppose you might call us that,” admitted Frank. “But we’d be obliged
if you would say nothing to anyone at the airport about us.”
“You can trust me,” returned the man. “I can keep my mouth shut. Where
are you staying to-night?”
“We don’t know yet,” said Joe.
“If you’d like to stay here, we have a spare room, and you’re welcome to
it,” the farmer volunteered.
“That’s mighty good of you. We were just wondering where we would find a
place to sleep. We have to be up and out by seven o’clock, though.”
“I get up at five, myself,” laughed the farmer. “Come on into the
kitchen and I’ll have my wife fix up something to eat. You’re more than
welcome to stay with us overnight. I’m dyin’ to know what you lads are
up to, but I guess I’d better not ask too many questions.”
“You’ll read all about it in the papers,” laughed Frank, “if everything
works out the way we want it to.”