furiously to keep the cousins from winning the laurels that
came their way, despite all opposition?

"Yes, I understand that he was going in for aviation again," replied
the other. "And I don't know whether I'm glad or sorry. If Percy and
that crony of his, Sandy Hollingshead, only believed in the square
deal, we might have great times in racing and exploring; but the
trouble is, they hate to see anybody getting ahead of them, and lots of
times as everybody understands, have tried to injure our machine."

"Oh! I don't know," said the optimistic Andy; "we always manage
somehow, to come out of every affair right-side up, and they get the
rough end of the deal, as they should because they won't leave us alone
to manage our own business. I can see some warm times coming soon,
when they get to cruising around once more."

"Well," said Frank, thoughtfully, "I never believed that Percy had
really reformed when he said he was through playing mean tricks. He's
always kept quiet about that trip down to South America. Why, he even
accused me of giving him away just because I told of our adventures
there, even glossing over the part he played in our little rumpus with
the revolutionists in Columbia, at the time I found my dear father, and
rescued him."

"That's just like Percy," declared Larry. "Don't I size him up,
though? He never knew what gratitude meant. I've been told that you
and Andy really saved his life down in that upset country."

"Oh! perhaps it wasn't quite all of that, Larry," protested Frank.

"All right," spoke up Andy immediately; "at least we got those fellows
out of a mighty tough hole. But it was just like Percy to declare that
he was going to use some chloroform he had with him, to put the whole
bunch of revolutionists to sleep, take their guns away, bind them hand
and foot, and send some of the government troops out to capture 'em.
So you see, we spoiled all that fine game by insisting on rescuing him
and Sandy."

Larry laughed uproariously.

"Too bad about that chap," he remarked, when he could catch his breath
again. "He's that slippery you never know when you've got your finger
on him. And the excuses he gets up to cover his knockouts, they just
sizzle. I reckon Percy is bound to be a promoter when he grows up."

"Say, let's all go down to the railroad yards, and watch Percy get his
machine on the cart?" suggested Elephant, wickedly.

"Count me out, fellows," remarked Frank, immedi