eing caught
out after dark down here in an airship."

"Well, hardly," Andy smiled. "Curfew must ring for us every time. Fancy
dropping plump in the middle of such a jumble of forest as that is
yonder, and I bet you it's just cram full of snakes, jaguars and
everything else that would want to snuggle up to a poor birdboy dropped
out of the clouds. Me for daylight when I go sailing down in this
blessed region."

"Look, the men are beginning to recover from their fright," remarked
Frank in low tones. "There's old Quito sitting up now and commencing his
everlasting jabbering with the others. See him point to the biplane and
then to us, Andy."

"Say, the sharp old coon is getting a pointer on us. He's telling his
chums right now that the thing we've got stored away in the lazerette is
just such a big bird as that going away over yonder. Am I right, Frank?"

"You never said a truer thing. But they were certainly a badly rattled
crowd for a time. And we can hardly blame the poor fellows, for what
could they think but that it was a tremendous bird of prey, looking them
over with an eye to grub?"

Frank laughed a little as though the recollection of the fright of the
crew would always seem more or less ludicrous.

They sat there and watched until the mysterious biplane had completely
disappeared in the hazy distance that marked the coming of evening.

"You don't think then," asked Andy, when it had vanished from view,
"that Puss and his biplane could have fallen into the hands of the
Colombia authorities and that they're using it for scouting to learn the
movements of these ragged revolutionists?"

"No, I don't," was Frank's quick response. "You said you could
positively make out Puss at the wheel, and I'm almost sure it was Sandy
with him. They must have slipped into the country without giving their
secret away. Trust sly Puss for knowing how to do that sort of
thing. He never goes around with a brass band, telling what big things
he has on tap."

"That's right. Why, just think, not a soul knew about his old biplane
until he had it about done. We were working in the open almost, telling
much of our plans, but Puss pretended to be mighty envious and asked
questions, when all the time he was meaning to beat us out. Of course,
he could get into Colombia without giving his secret away. You don't
need to tell me, Frank, you're surprised at that."

"No more I am. But there goes the sun. How quick it seems to drop out
of