course, we
were too far off to tell exactly, even spying through the glass."

"Somehow, however," replied Frank. "I have the feeling that they
didn't."

"Didn't what?" asked Bob.

"Didn't see us," answered Frank.

Frank had accelerated the speed of the engine, and was driving at
eighty miles an hour, straight for home. Suddenly, an exclamation from
Bob, who again was swinging his glasses over the sea below, smote the
ears of the boys.

"Something's the matter with that little plane. Say"--a breathless
pause--"it's falling. Come on, Frank. We'll have to see if we can
help. Swoop down. There, to the left."

Rapidly Frank began spiralling and in a very short time was near
enough to the small plane for it to be seen clearly with the naked
eye. It had been flying at a considerable height. As the boys watched,
it went into a dive, with the pilot struggling desperately to flatten
out. He succeeded, when not far from the surface of the ocean. As a
result, instead of diving nose foremost into the water, the plane fell
flat with a resounding smack, there was a breathless moment or two
when it seemed as if the little thing would be swamped, then it rode
lightly and buoyantly on the little swells.

Descending to the water, Frank taxied up close to the other plane. The
figure of the pilot hung motionless over the wheel. Probably,
considered the boys, the man had been flung about and buffeted until
he lost consciousness.

"I'll close up to him head on," Frank said. "Then, if necessary, one
of you can climb into the other plane and see what we can do to help.
Probably the thing to do will be to get him aboard here, and carry him
ashore."

"Righto," said Bob, climbing out to the fuselage, behind the slowly
revolving propeller. "Now take it easy. We don't want to smash. I can
drop into the water and swim a stroke or two, and get aboard."

As the boys swung up close, however, the figure at the wheel of the
other plane stirred. Then the man lifted his head and looked at them,
in dazed fashion.

"Mr. Higginbotham," exclaimed Frank, under his breath. "Well, what do
you know about that?"

It was, indeed, the man they had interviewed earlier that day in the
McKay realty offices, back in New York.

"How in the world did he get here?" asked Jack, who also had
recognized the other.

Frank had brought their plane to a halt. It bobbed up and down slowly
on the long ground swell, not far from the smaller machine.

Bob was stil