Pudge was close by on the shore when the seaplane ran in to the foot of the wooden trestle, upon which the big seaplane was drawn on the wheeled carriage, built for that purpose, until it was once more safely housed in the hangar.
"Don't ask a single question, Pudge!" called Billy, "until we've got her up the inclined plane, and snugly sheltered from the public view. I guess there must be a thousand people outside trying to see what the _Sea Eagle_ looks like. They must have watched us coming on down the coast, and had a bad case of fright at first, thinking it meant another spell of bomb dropping."
"Yes, lend us a hand, Pudge," added Frank, "and help get the machine settled evenly on the little carriage. You know we have it so arranged that she can be hauled up by means of this cable, and by her own motors. I'll stay aboard to guide things, and you two follow after we're safely in the hangar, not before."
Billy knew he meant a rope might possibly break, and it would be dangerous for anyone to be caught upon the trestle by the descending seaplane. Indeed, Billy had a pretty vivid recollection of the narrow escape of the two spies who had barely jumped aside at the time of their downward rush.
Everything went off without the slightest hitch, and the first act of Pudge, after climbing the ascent in company with Billy, was to hastily look over the returned air traveler from the spoon-shaped bow to the opposite extremity.
"Seems to be without a scratch, Frank!" he exclaimed in undeniable glee.
"Why, did you think we had been in some sort of smash-up?" demanded Billy.
"Well, no, not quite so bad as that," admitted Pudge; "but I knew some of those German spies must have tried pretty hard to capture the craft, and if that failed I reckoned they'd wanted to do something to put her out of commission. Now, please, sit down here and tell me everything."
"Ours is a long story, Pudge," said Frank, "as you can judge for yourself when I tell you we've been far up over the fighting lines in Belgium, found ourselves bombarded by shrapnel, and threatened by half a dozen Taube flying machines, as well as a Zeppelin!"
"Yes," added Billy, shaking his forefinger at the stout chum, "and before we relate the whole story in detail you've got to tell us what happened last night that made you fail to come back when we expected you."