rd boys had suddenly become aware of the dreadful peril
threatening the little chap belonging to the well known Bloomsbury
fisherman, who was every boy's friend; and meant to do their level best
to save Tommy from the watery grave that yawned to receive him.

"Oh! it's too late!" suddenly cried Longley, staggering back as if he
had himself received a blow.

"What happened?" exclaimed his companion, hoarsely.

"The child let go! See, he is struggling in the water, but must
disappear before the aeroplane can alight, for it is still twenty feet
above the lake. Too bad! Too bad! They might have got him in another
minute!"

"Look there! One of them has leaped into the lake! See that splash,
would you?" shrilled Larry, jumping up and down in his excitement.

"That was Andy, I reckon!" cried Elephant, climbing up on the side of
the car, the better to see, at this tremendously exciting stage of the
game. "He ain't afraid of anything; neither is Frank, for that matter.
And he just dove right down like a hawk after a breakfast of fish. Do
you see him, mister? Ain't he come up yet? Oh! my! I wouldn't have
missed this for a cookey. What's he doing, mister, please? He's our
chum, Andy is, and we're proud of him."

"Yes, there he is alongside the boat now," said Longley, using the
binoculars again, "I can see him swimming with one hand. He seems to
have injured the other--no, no, it must be he's got the child gripped
in his right arm, for I seem to see a yellow head close to his. There,
the hydroplane drops in the water near by. The boy lifts up his burden
and places it in the boat. Now he's climbing in himself, as if he
means to revive the child. Marsh, he's done it! And if that was Andy
Bird I take off my hat to him."

Whereupon both Elephant and Larry started in to shout and cheer at the
top of their voices; as though they might have a personal interest in
the gallant rescue which had just come under their observation.

CHAPTER III

THE MEN IN THE TOURING CAR

When Andy Bird, wet through to the skin, arrived at the fisherman's
dock a little later, he found quite a crowd awaiting his coming.

The small urchin, Tommy, had apparently not suffered seriously from his
immersion in the waters of Sunrise Lake. Perhaps he was to some extent
accustomed to tumbling overboard; though this time the consequences
might have been most serious only for the lucky presence of the Bird
boys near by, intent on tr