The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-08-02

alton to the aeroplaneS the other con- spicuous parts of the aero were sim1- larly suited.
 "So that's the way the varnint play ed possum, is it?" said Ethan when he saw these suits. "Waal, she'll not turn grasshopper ner blue, white ner black butterfly ag'in, I'll allow"
 Having selected from the stores Of the Chameleon such things as would be of use to us and having found some of her bombs, I had her blown up, and we returned to the rocks.
 It was now 4 o'clock. The sun was getting over the horizon, and it was time to run down our quarry. I cared little about the two men. They might escape,j and welcome, if only I could capture the pirate himself. l meant to keep after him week or ten days, if necessary, and for that purpose l had taken possession of the unused batteries of the Chameleon, which sui feed to replace all that the Crow had exhausted up to this time.
 The three men who had been left at the scene of the last nights adventure had arrived at the rocks, bringing along their wounded comrade, who was seriously shot through the bTeast.
 They also brought Payton's pack of provisions, which had been left on the ground. This delighted me exceeding ly, for it vastly increased the chances of his capture.
 I had, including myself and Peters, ten available men. I decided to leave Peters and four men at the rocks, with plenty of provisions, and one of the electric guns, placing Helen in their charge until the arrival of the party from the Osprey or until my return. l directed Peters to keep flag flying. for I felt confident that our friends would soon come, and probably with the aero, since my engineer had as- sured Peters that he could repair the steering gear. M
 For the search, my idea was to rise to good height with the Crow. and start off ostentatiously southward, in order that Payton, if he were watch ing, as he doubtless would be, might conclude that we were satisfied with the recovery of Miss Grayman and were making for home. When, to use an old nautical phrase, we should be 'hull down" from the rocks I meant to put about, going round by the east to northeast and keeping full fifty miles beyond the point where Payton had escaped.
 Then I would drop down near the ground and search it right and left over breadth of at least fifteen miles, creeping gradually inward toward the critical point. Since he was compel led to travel on foot did not believe that Payton. had been able to go any. thing like fifty miles over the brush tangled and more or less swampy ground. But wanted to be sure.
 So off I started, after a tender part ing from Helen, whom I encouraged with the hope of soon seeing her fa- ther and to whom I had related all the particulars of the manner in which we had found Payton's lodge and of our adventures up to the time of the battle in the clouds. She in turn gave me vivid description of her expert ences on the Chameleon, where she and Susan had been kept locked in the cabin most of the time. Once or twice only they had witnessed the chase.
 But I did not know, who my res cuer was to be-" she said, smiling archly.
 When we had attained point be- tween fifty and sixty miles northeast of the rocks we began the search in earnest. We had long been running low, but now dropped within twenty yards of the ground and began to de scribe series of endless iuterlocking spfrals about fifteen miles in length, like so many flat, intertwined figure eights lying on their sides, one over another.
 This enabled us to inspect the ground so m1nutely that a w0Odchuck could hardly have escaped being seen. Even where it was covered with brush we could usually see fairly we'll, and when we came upon thickets or clumps of stunted trees I ordered Ethan to drop shells into them, an employment that afforded him great satisfaction.
 This beats coon huntin' in Con- necticut all holler," he said. "When l was youngster we us'ter shoot up inter the trees whar the varmints was hid, but if we c'u,d "a got at lem this way there wouldn't "a been a ringtail left in the hull state '
 But as the time wore on and we got nearer where I expected Payton to be l stopped the firing lest the explosion Of the shells should give the alarm. | now determined to resort to the device which had twice already proved SO eff fective-that of looking out for light after night came on. The nights were cold, and if Payton believed that we had gone off southward he would build hres, both for warmth and for cook ing.
 It was after midnight before our vigilance was rewarded. Ethan touch ed me on the arm as we stood together beside the gun in the bow and whis- pered, "Thar's the glim, lootenant."
 Sure enough, not POO rods away, 6 faint gleam showed on the trunk O, aH unusually tall pine. surrounded witt Elshes Instantly I brought the Grow to hover.
 "Shal1 vand hin, n lo1Io,, ,.I-o,