sat down again.

"We'll wait a minute," Hal whispered. "Perhaps he'll doze again."

Fortune was with the boys. A few moments later there came the sound of a
gentle snore. The man was asleep. Immediately the lads sprang to action.
Quickly they dashed across the open space to the side of the large
building, which was made of wood and seemed to be nothing more than a
huge barn.

Chester stopped beside the guard and raised his revolver. He hesitated a
moment and then lowered the weapon.

"Let him be," he muttered. "He won't be with us long anyhow."

Hal, in the meantime, had been exploring the barn. Coming back he picked
up the guard's rifle.

"I can pry a board loose with this," he told Chester, in a whisper.

This proved easier work than it looked. The board came loose without much
trouble. Hal disappeared inside.

"Ammunition?" Chester asked, as he poked his head in.

"Yes," Hal whispered back.

"Find a fuse?" asked Chester.

Again Hal's reply was in the affirmative.

"Stretch it out here then, and hurry," ordered Chester.

Hal appeared on the outside a moment later, carrying a fuse. One end
still remained in the barn. The other Hal carried some distance.

"Guess you'd better dispose of that guard first," he said. "He might wake
up and extinguish the fuse."

It was the work of but a moment, much as Chester hated to perform it.

Then Hal struck a light, shielding the match with his cap. He applied the
match to the fuse. Then he sprang to his feet and called to Chester:

"Run!"

CHAPTER XXVIII

FLIGHT

Both lads fled through the night knowing that their lives depended upon
it. For safety's sake it was absolutely necessary that they put as great
a distance as possible between them and the barn.

According to Hal's calculations, the spot where the aeroplane was hidden
was far enough away so that the machine would not be disabled by the
force of the explosion; and it was for this point that the lads made at
full speed.

They reached there safely; and still there had been no explosion.

"How much time did you allow, Hal?" asked Chester.

"Ten minutes, as nearly as I could judge," was the reply.

"Then we still have a few minutes, I guess. Had we better wait here until
after the blast, or shall we run out the machine and get up in the air."

"We'd better stay here," returned Hal, positively, "I don't know how much
ammunition there is in that barn. It's going to kick up a terrible fuss.