struck with a sudden idea, he continued; "And if you see or hear anything wrong about him, will you do us the favor to let us know at once, over the telephone, or otherwise? I'll pay you for the calls."
"Sure I'll let you know if I hear anything."
"I might as well tell you that he is down on us and down on some of our friends, and he and a young fellow with him named Tad Sobber may try to play us foul in some way. So, if you hear of anything strange, let us know by all means."
"You can depend on it, I will," replied Peter Marley.
"And now to see if that really was the biplane!" cried Tom, when the party was once more on horseback. "Let us try to forget old Crabtree and Sobber. One trouble at a time is enough. If that was the flying machine, I hope she isn't damaged much," he added, wistfully, for he had hoped to get a good deal of sport out of sailing the Dartaway.
"Well, if that was the biplane, she must have landed in the river, and that would break the shock some," said Sam, hopefully.
"Yes, especially if she came down on a slant," added Dick. "Maybe she struck the water and scaled along like a clamshell."
Along the river they proceeded for quite a dis-
