The Boy Scouts of the Flying Squadron

-oo--

direction of Bud's shouts. Hugh speedily joined him, coming from som

g enough for the excavation of a church cellar. All around were evidences of a most tremendous explos

ng, "I hope to goodness one of them never drops down on our roof at home. Just looky here wh

rned to

at happened now, i

came the answer, as Ralph

leader seriously; "and to look at that gap you'd believe it beats dynamite all h

"Do you mean to tell me that it wasn't a meteor

h and gradually cools off, for it's been made almost red-hot by passing so swiftly through

Hugh?" asked the oth

opped

! Whee! No wonder then they came up here to this lonely place to try things out. A farmer'd be apt to kick like a steer if he waked up some fine mo

"but thought best not to mention it until I could see my way c

awful explosive, and wanting to do it where

ket with explosives, or else the Government itself trying to see how the Flying Squa

a great big bat circling around in the darkness of night, sending down a searchlight, maybe, to pick out the right spot, and then, bang! Good-by to your old fort or battl

r the complim

scover that a man clad in a faded suit of khaki was standing close by

ernment service. This, then, would seem to prove that it was the army engaged in making these secret experiments with th

te, as every scout is taught to do when he meets one who is above him

onging to a town some

rted to

ng here?" inquired th

hat that terrible roar and flash meant. At first, we thought a meteor had fallen; but when it came again last night and we saw the aeroplane swinging around up there in

ight so far when dropping a bomb; but now that we know others besides ourselves are up here, we must be more careful. Perhaps I would hesitate to say all this to most people whom I happened to meet by acc

s of praise from an army officer. "And perhaps you may not know that there ar

exclaimed the other, s

cting in a strange way. They've been spying on us, too, while we've occupied the old shack close by. They even crept in while we w

spicion and uneasiness. "Could you tell whether they seemed to look like nat

one looked like a Ja

e boy answe

n rubbed his chin an

e inventor of the latest explosive, that his discovery must make war so horrible that nations would be compelled to keep the peace after this. And, judging from what that one small bomb did here, I fancy he was not mistaken in his estimate. We could destroy the largest battleship afloat as easy as to snap our fingers. Of course there are secret agents of numerous Great Powers con

n your war aeroplane, or try to blow you all u

nd have their orders from the home Governments to keep us from forging ahead too fast. But I haven't in

ard so much about from our Scout Master, a retired army off

arms of peace rather than those of bloody war? He was always crazy over boys, and must be a cracking good Scout Master, because he knows so much of Western life among the Indians. He was with Miles in the Sioux War long ago, as you m

areer to find himself an object of interest in the eyes of so famous an aviator as Lieutenant Fosdick, of wh

ed face of the army officer, Bud only too gl

not more than half a mile away from here. We have a fine open spot where we can ascend and alight with ease, day or night. You will be welcome, I assure you. We have a dozen men there besi

your little machine dismantled, so

see, it's fixed for taking apart," the i

imself with his model, Ralph and Hugh chatted with the army officer. He

milar to one the Wright Brothers got out some time ago. That's the way it often happens, and many a man has studied some clever thing out only to find that he has been anticipated by some earlier inventor. But say no

disappointment with regard to his wonderful invention, the boy might de

r the change of base; and soon the boys were accompanying the skilled