“all right. don’t shoot, i’ll come down.”

“no one’s going to shoot you,” jack laughed as he gave bob another shake. “awful sorry to wake you up, old man,” he apologized as bob finally got his eyes open and sat up in bed.

“say, what’s the big idea?”

“that’s just it. it’s too big to keep.”

“well, it had better be, or i’ll teach you to wake me up in the middle of the night.”

“well, if you say it isn’t worth it i’ll take the teaching. listen.”

for several minutes jack talked rapidly while bob listened without comment until he had finished.

“i’ll say that’s a peach of a plan,” he declared enthusiastically as jack came to a pause.

“worth waking you up for?”

“i’ll say it is. where’d you get it?”

“it just came to me as i was thinking it over.”

“well, it’s a peacherino all right, and well spring it on the captain first thing in the morning and i’ll bet he’ll jump for it.”

they talked the plan over for several minutes longer and bob declared that there was not a flaw in it.

“well, boys, have you thought of any way to get those fellows?”

the boys, together with the captain, had finished breakfast and had returned to the latter’s room for a conference.

“jack has,” bob replied.

“good. i’ll have to confess that i haven’t been able to work out anything at all satisfactory.”

“well, it’s like this, sir. you see we worked out a small pocket radio phone a little while ago which seems to work pretty well. here it is.” and he pulled the case from his pocket and handed it to the captain.

“you say you can talk with this?” the captain asked, much interested.

“yes, sir. we know it’ll work for at least sixty miles because we have tested it that far.”

“wonderful. what will you boys do next?”

“now,” bob continued, much pleased at the captain’s praise, “jack’s plan is to get a fast plane with a good driver and have him all ready somewhere near here. then we can go up there and watch for that fellow. of course one of us will stay with the machine with one of these phones and the other will guide you and your men, taking the other phone. then when he is about to start we can call and tell the driver and he can get after him. as soon as the plane is out of sight you can arrest the men and, if the man with your plane is successful, you’ll get the whole gang.”

“bully; couldn’t be better, and i will act on it at once. i know just the fellow for the job. he made a record bringing down german planes during the war and he’s still in the government. i’m pretty sure he’s at washington right now and we ought to be able to get him up here by the day after tomorrow at the latest. i’ve got enough men here for the other part of it and i’ll have time to arrange for the authority to make the arrest in canada.”

“then you think it will work,” jack asked.

“don’t see how it can help it. of course there will be a possibility that he might miss him, but with a pair of good field glasses he ought not to. but, come on. we’ll go out and get a wire off to captain brice. that’s the fellow’s name.”

“i think i remember reading about him in the papers,” bob said.

“no doubt. there was a lot about him in the press the last year of the war. believe me, he is some flyer.”

they went to a nearby telegraph office and the captain sent his message, making use of the government code, after which they went to the captain’s office.

“now suppose you boys wait here in case a reply comes before i get back. i want to go down to the city hall to arrange about the papers for the arrest of those rascals. i don’t think i will be gone more than an hour.”

he was back in just an hour and told the boys that he would have the necessary papers early the next day. he had been back only a few minutes when a boy came in with a telegram from washington.

“good,” the captain said as soon as he had read it. “brice says that he is just leaving. nothing could be better.”

“what time will he get here?” bob asked.

“well, now, that’s pretty hard to tell. you know an airplane is still a pretty uncertain quantity, but if he has no trouble he ought to get here some time this afternoon. it’s about seven hundred and fifty or eight hundred miles from here and he ought to make it in eight or ten hours.”

the day passed quickly and they had just returned to the office when the phone rang.

“that was brice,” the captain said after a short conversation. “he has just landed about five miles out of town. come on, we’ll get my car and go out for him.”

they found captain brice waiting for them on the porch of an old farm house, and the greeting between the two captains was very hearty, as they were old friends. then the boys were introduced and the red blood mounted to their cheeks at the words of praise bestowed upon them.

“brice, if there are two smarter boys than these i’d like to see them. you just wait till i tell you some of the things they’ve done.”

they drove at once to the hotel, and after supper went to the captain’s room, where he explained the situation to captain brice.

“and now what do you think of it?” he asked.

“don’t see how it could be better.”

“then you think you can get him?”

“don’t see why not. it’s the best bet you’ve got, and i think it will work. that is unless he’s got a faster machine than i have, and i don’t think it has been made yet,” he added with a note of pride.

when the captain showed captain brice the pocket radios he looked at them in wonder.

“do you mean to tell me that you made these and that they’ll work?” he asked, turning to bob.

“sure they made them, and that’s nothing compared to some other things they’ve invented. why, you ought to see a new cell that they run their motor cycles and motor boat and auto with. as inventors they’ve got edison backed off the mat,” and the captain looked at the boys with pride.

“and are they the boys who helped you out last summer with the moonshiners?”

“they sure are!”

“then i’ve heard a lot about you,” captain brice said, turning to the boys. “last winter jim could talk of nothing else.”

“i’m afraid the captain is inclined to exaggerate,” bob stammered.

it was on a friday that captain brice came to bangor and, after talking the matter over at some length, it was decided that they would not make the start before tuesday. captain jim, as captain brice called him, was of the opinion that it would be several days at least before the smugglers attempted another flight and captain brice announced that he would have to take some time to go over his motor to be sure that it was in first class condition.

“there was a bit of a knock in her coming up and i think she’s got a loose wrist pin,” he said.

captain brice was very much interested in the new cell about which captain jim was so enthusiastic and nothing would do but he must be shown the wheels which were fitted up with them. at bob’s invitation he went for a short ride on one of them and on his return he was fully as zealous about it as was captain jim.

“if we’d only had that cell in the war and had some of our planes equipped with them,” he said. “just think what it would have meant to us to have been able to sail through the air without making a sound. it was the noise of the motors that gave us away every time. do you think, boys, that they could be made large enough to drive a plane?”

“i don’t see why they couldn’t be, although we have never tried it. we have a runabout over home which is equipped with one of them about four times as large as these and it will hit sixty on a good road.”

“what do you estimate the strength of this cell?”

“we have found by experiment that the power increases very nearly as the square of the diameter of the cell. this one, as you see, is about an inch in diameter and it develops very nearly four horse power.”

“great scott, then one a foot in diameter would develop five hundred and seventy-six horse power. think of it jim.”

“i have thought of it many times,” captain jim smiled.

“i’ll say it would run a plane,” captain brice declared.

the following morning the boys spent with captain brice watching him as he worked on his motor and helping whenever they could.

“that’s a liberty isn’t it?” jade had asked as soon as he saw it.

“yes.”

“and we’re pretty sure that that fellow has a liberty also.”

“and you’re wondering if i’m going to be able to catch him?”

jack blushed.

“well, you see, sir, i—” he began when the captain interrupted.

“sure i see, but you see i’ve got a new type of carburetor here which is the only one ever made because i made it myself and so far it has given this old buss nearly fifty per cent. more speed than she had before, and she could give any of them a good run before i made the change.”

at noon they met captain jim at the hotel and they had dinner together.

captain jim announced that he had the warrants for the arrest of the men all in shape and captain brice said that he would easily be able to finish with the plane on monday.

“then i guess we can consider ourselves at liberty for the week end,” captain jim said as he pushed back his chair. “what’ll we do?”

“how about driving over to skowhegan and staying with us,” bob proposed.

“that would be fine for us,” captain jim smiled, “but i’m afraid it would be a piece of imposition on your folks.”

“not a bit of it,” bob assured him. “father and mother are always glad for us to bring our friends to the house and we’ve got plenty of room. if you’ll give me a minute i’ll call up and make sure that they are at home. you see, sometimes they run up to moosehead lake over sunday but i don’t think they’re going this week or they would have said so when i was talking with them yesterday.”

he rejoined them a few minutes later with the announcement that his father and mother would be delighted to have them all come.

“we’re lucky, brice,” captain jim said. they drove over in captain jim’s car. the boys left their bikes at the hotel garage but the cells they took with them.

mr. and mrs. golden gave them a most hearty welcome and after an early supper they drove to moosehead lake in his big car. they spent the sabbath very quietly at the cabin returning early monday morning.

“it’s no wonder that these boys have turned out so well,” captain brice declared as they started off for bangor after bidding the goldens good-bye.

“they couldn’t help it with such parents.”

“they sure are the best ever,” bob said flushing with pleasure.

they got back just in time for dinner and as soon as the meal was over captain brice and the boys left to complete the work on the plane while captain jim said that he would be kept busy the rest of the day rounding up his men and making final arrangements for the trip north.

“how many men will you take,” jack asked.

“i thought about four would be enough. that will make six of us and you say there were but five of them besides the aviator.”

“i guess that will be a plenty unless it should come to a rough and tumble. in that case i would hate to be one of three or four ordinary men to tackle that big tiny.”

“well, i guess it won’t come to that,” captain jim laughed. “you may be sure we’ll go well armed and we won’t take any chances.”

“come out to the field if you get through in time,” captain brice said.

“i will if i get a chance, but i’ve got a lot to do and it’s doubtful if i get through in time. you see we may have to stay up there in the woods several days and that means that we’ve got to pack a lot of stuff to eat. six men in the woods consume some food, eh bob.”

“i’ll say they do.” bob laughed.

“which one of you boys is going to stay with me?” captain brice asked as they were driving out to the farm.

“why, jack will stay of course.”

“now, bob, i—” jack began but bob interrupted.

“not a bit of it, son. this plan was yours and you are going to stay with the captain and help him catch that flyer.”

bob knew how his brother had longed for a chance of this sort and was determined that he should have it. so, although jack protested that as bob was the eldest he ought to stay he would not hear of it, declaring that he doubted if jack would be able to find his way back to the smugglers’ cabin.

by four o’clock captain brice pronounced the plane in first class condition and, to the boys’ great delight, he took them with him on a trial flight, the machine being capable of carrying three.

although it was not the first time the boys had been in the air they had never dreamed of such speed as the plane developed, and they were thrilled as they watched the hand of the dial creep up until it touched one hundred and twenty-five miles an hour.

they remained in the air about a half hour and when they alighted the captain announced that he was well satisfied with the condition of the plane.

“i should think you would be,” jack declared.

“i’ve made a hundred and forty in her,” the captain said.

“how fast do you suppose that other fellow can go?” bob asked.

“probably not much over a hundred unless he’s got something outside of the ordinary.”

“then we ought to be able to catch him all right,” jack declared.

“we’ll do our best.”

“you bet we will.”

captain jim had already made arrangements for captain brice and jack to board at the farm house.

they returned to the hotel shortly before six o’clock and captain jim joined them a few minutes later.

“well i guess i’ve got everything all ready at last,” he announced.

“what time do we start?” bob asked.

“i’ve told the men to be here at five o’clock.”

“then we ought to reach the place sometime wednesday afternoon if we have good luck.”

“that’s what i reckoned on.”

“and we’ll move out to the farm right after dinner wednesday,” captain brice said.

as soon as they had eaten supper they went to captain jim’s room to talk over the final arrangements.

“now it won’t do for us to go to jackman,” the captain began as soon as they were seated. “i don’t trust the fellow who runs the camp where you boys put up. i haven’t anything on him but he’s been more or less under suspicion for some time and he knows me. the presence of so many of us in the small town would be sure to make talk and it’s almost sure that they would get wind of it one way or another.”

“what will we do then?” bob asked.

“my plan is to go in the car up to within about five or six miles of the town and then hide the cars. we’ll go in two cars as we’ll be less apt to attract attention that way. then we can strike off through the woods from there. how does it strike you?”

“fine,” bob replied.

“all right, then, we’ll leave it that way.”

“are the woods pretty thick near that field, bob?”

“they sure are. i don’t think i ever saw it any thicker a bit back.”

“that’s fine. we can make camp back in the woods and take turns watching from that place you spoke of between the rocks. of course we’ll have to take a chance on them discovering us.”

“smoke will be the main thing we’ll have to look out for,” bob declared.

“but we’ll have to do some cooking i suppose.”

“how about taking an oil stove along?”

“i hadn’t thought of that. won’t it be too bulky to carry? and then there’s the oil.”

“there’s a little collapsible stove on the market that we can easily carry and a couple of gallons of oil will probably last us,” bob explained.

“that would be just the thing,” the captain declared. “suppose you and i go out and see if we can find one.”

they had to visit several stores before they found what they wanted but finally they succeeded and returned to the room in high spirits.

“that’s the one thing that has worried me more than anything else,” captain jim said as he exhibited the stove to the others. “isn’t it a dandy stove?”

“just the thing i should say,” captain brice agreed. “these boys of ours seem to have an answer for everything.”

“and you don’t half know them yet,” captain jim told him.

“well, i’m getting acquainted,” captain brice laughed.

as they were to get up at four o’clock they separated soon after nine and the boys lost no time in getting into bed.

“i do hope that this goes off all right,” bob said. “don’t see why it shouldn’t.”

“nor do i but you can never tell. i could mention a number of things that might knock our plans into a cocked hat.”

“such as what?”

“well, they might get on to us for one thing and then that might have been the last load for another.”

“you mean they may have given it up?”

“it’s possible.”

“don’t you believe it.”

“i don’t, but as i say, it’s possible.”

“so are a lot of things which are not going to happen. let’s not cross our bridges before we get to them.”

“all right, we won’t and now for some sleep.”

it was just beginning to get light when a tap on the door brought them quickly out of bed and into their clothes. they found the two captains all ready for the breakfast which captain jim had arranged for the night before. the cars were waiting outside by the time they had finished and introductions were made all around.

“captain jim’s sure got a fine bunch of men,” bob whispered to jack.

“they do look as though they could give a good account of themselves in a fight,” jack replied. “i wish we could all go together.”

“same here, but that’s out of the question.”

“we’ll start first and you leave in just a half an hour,” captain jim said to one of his men. “i don’t want any one along the road to see us all together. those fellows have got confederates all over, and at the least suspicion some one will be sure to notify them. we’ll wait for you about a mile the other side of jim cutter’s place. you know where that is, don’t you?”

“sure, i know it,” the man assured him.

“all right. now just about a mile the other side is a woods road which runs off to the left and we’ll be waiting up there. don’t drive over thirty miles an hour then we won’t get too close together.”

captain jim together with bob and one of the men, a big broad shouldered giant named john sands, got into his machine and after bidding captain brice and jack good-bye they were off.

“now for it,” the captain said as he guided the car away from the hotel.