"There won't be much trouble about that." "Do it, Dave," urged Hiram, "and right away, so I won't lose track of the place yonder." Dave inspected the country below as closely as he could at a distance. He circled to a lower level, and selected a patch of high grass between two corn fields. "Now then," announced Hiram. "I'm off." "I shall wait anxiously for your return, Hiram." "Don't worry, I shan't get into any trouble." Dave did not leave the flying machine. He kept himself in readiness for a flight, should anyone approach the spot. There was not much fear of that, though, he reasoned, as the place was away from the traversed roads and paths. The young aviator had quite a spell of waiting. He began to fear that Hiram had lost his way or that something had happened to him, as an hour passed by. Suddenly, however, his active young assistant bounded into view, chipper and lively as usual. "What news, Hiram?" inquired Dave. "The best in the world." "You have found out something?" "You'll think so when I tell you," declared Hiram. "I found the place where they sent up the rockets without much trouble." "What was it, Hiram?" "An old factory yard. Part of the buildings have been burned down, and three or four loaferish looking fellows seem to live in an old shake down there. They belong to the crowd of that fellow, Ridgely, the smuggler, right enough." "How did you know that, Hiram?" asked Dave. "Because I overheard them. They had let their signal fire burn down low, and were sitting around it talking. I crept up behind an old shed and listened. It was as near as I dared to get, and I could catch only a word now and then. They spoke the name Drifter," asserted Hiram positively. "You didn't see anything of Jerry Dawson?" asked Dave. "No, but--say, yes, they mentioned his name, too. They were all excited about seeing our airship. It seems they were trying to warn the Drifter." "To warn the Drifter?" repeated Dave somewhat puzzled. "Yes." "Why, what for?" "To keep away from the American shore. Somehow, they had found out that the revenue officers were at Anseton. They knew, too, that the Interstate people had an airship out after them. It seems that when we didn't reply to their signal, they guessed that they had hailed the wrong airship. They have sent a man to the city to telegraph to the men on the Canadian side to look out for an airship on their track." "You don't know where they are going to telegraph to, Hiram?" "But I do," cried Hiram triumphantly. "That's my big discovery. They talked over the whole thing. The message is to be sent to a friend at Brantford. He is to ride post haste horseback ten miles west of that place to where the Drifter people have a camp in what they call Big Moose Woods." "Hiram," applauded the young aviator, "you're a jewel. Why, you have simplified the whole business." "And you're going right after the Drifter?" propounded Hiram eagerly.