stened to
the roar of the storm without. "Must we stay up here all night?"

"I'm afraid that will be the result of our foolishness," remarked the
other, gravely. "And we ought to be thankful that our punishment isn't
any worse."

The summer storm began to die out after an hour; but by then the
afternoon had drawn near an end; so that it was folly to even think of
making any effort looking toward their escape from the rocky crest of
Old Thunder Top.

Frank crawled out of the friendly crevice, and after a short time
returned, to bring good news.

"So far as I can see the biplane isn't badly damaged," he said to Andy.

"Hey! you ain't going to desert us up here, I hope?" cried Percy, in
sudden alarm; which remark proved how much he was depending on Frank
after all to get them out of the bad scrape.

"Not at all," came the reply. "Nobody can go down till morning. But
if the machine can be coaxed to work decently then, I can carry the
whole bunch, one at a time, to the ground."

This prospect of being brought home by a victorious rival was
apparently not very pleasant to Percy's proud soul. He grumbled for a
bit, and then said:

"Huh! guess you'll have to drop me in our front yard then, 'cause I
won't be able to crawl home. I don't want to be seen in this shape,
Frank Bird, remember that!"

"Sure, take you wherever you say, Percy. But we'll cross that bridge
when we come to it. Perhaps we may have to get down by means of a rope
after all," the good-natured young aviator replied.

As night came on the clouds rolled away from the summit of the
mountain, and Frank could see the light of the town far below. He knew
only too well that many anxious hearts would be suffering because of
the dreadful uncertainty that hung over the fate of the quartette of
venturesome aeroplane boys.

"I'm going to find some way to let them know we're all safe," he said,
finally.

"But how?" demanded Andy. "If it was daylight we could stand out in a
row, and they'd see us through the glasses. Or we could use the wigwag
code, which some of the Boy Scouts would translate. But in the dark--"

"That's just what occurred to me," said Frank, quickly. "Listen, Andy.
Strange to say, our little searchlight on the biplane escaped being
broken when we landed so roughly. I mean to use that to signal with."

At that his cousin gave vent to an exclamation of delight.

"Great! It sure takes you to think up these things, Frank!" he c