CHAPTER X.
WILLOUGHBY'S SWAMP.
Pete kept his weapon prominently displayed, and through the gloomMatt could see the ruffian's arm partly lifted as though ready on theinstant to bring the firearm into use. This alert attitude on Pete'spart, however, was more for show than for anything else--at least, Mattso regarded it. Brady was not anxious to go to desperate extremes withMatt, especially since he wanted him as driver for the air-ship.
Brady, taking up a position where he could peer ahead, was scanning thedim landscape sharply.
"Swing her to the left!" he called.
Matt instantly applied the steering lever. Instead of swinging to theleft, however, the Hawk made a half-turn to the right.
Up came the revolver. With a sharp cry, the girl reached up and caughtPete's arm.
"To the _left_, I said!" roared Brady.
"You'll have to give me the chance to learn the machine," answeredMatt, coolly, as he continued working the lever and brought the Hawkaround to the proper course. "These levers are new to me. When we steeran auto we do it with a wheel."
"I thought ye knowed all about motors," jeered Pete.
"I know something about motors," replied Matt, "but not the first thingabout air-ships."
As near as Matt could judge, they were proceeding at a speed ofsomething like thirty miles an hour. He speeded up the engine a littleand was surprised at the smoothness with which it worked. The propellerhummed in a low, husky drone that was quite different from the song ofthe cylinders.
He moved the steering lever backward a couple of notches. Immediatelythe rudder was tilted and the Hawk began to climb upward.
"Stop that!" yelled Brady. "We're high enough. What are you trying todo?"
"Learning the machine," answered Matt, and threw the lever forward.
The front end of the gas-bag tipped downward, and the air-ship slidtoward the earth with a suddenness that almost threw Brady over therail.
"That'll do you!" he whooped. "Get her on a level again, and be quickabout it. You can handle the machine, all right, and I don't want youto do anything but what you're told."
"All right," said Matt quietly.
For five minutes longer they continued to swim onward through the air.A long string of lights shot across the gloomy landscape below them,and a whistle came upward from the earth with startling distinctness.
"There goes a train, whistlin' fer Lake Station," remarked Pete.
"We'll be over the town in a minute," said Brady, "and then it won't belong until we get to the swamp."
"What swamp?" asked Matt.
"Never ye mind," was Pete's surly rejoinder. "Ye're here to obey ordersan' not ask any fool questions."
"I don't think it very foolish for a fellow to ask where he's beingtaken."
"Mebby not, but ye ain't findin' anythin' out, see?"
Matt had been doing a good deal of guessing about Carl. What would hischum do? What was he doing then? He felt pretty sure that Carl wouldget into the house and go through it from cellar to roof.
But Matt knew that Carl had a good sensible head in cases of emergency.Now and again the Dutch boy's temper was apt to make trouble with hisreasoning, but in the long run Carl could always be counted on to dothe right thing.
So Matt was not worrying very much about his chum. Carl would take goodcare of the blue prints and ultimately they would find their rightfulowner.
"Ha!" exclaimed Brady, suddenly, "there's the signal! I'll go back andtake charge of the motor while we make the landing, Pete, and you takethe lookout."
Matt gave place to Brady and then stood at the rail, watchingdevelopments curiously.
Below the air-ship was a great splotch of black shadow, stretching awayon all sides as far as the eye could reach. Evidently this was theswamp. The Hawk was sailing across the swamp toward a big fire thatglowed in the distance.
With Brady steering and Pete directing, the Hawk approached closer andcloser to the fire.
"Drop 'er, Brady!" Pete presently called; "we're close on the island."
The nose of the air-ship ducked downward and, for perhaps twentyseconds, she raced earthward; then Brady diminished the speed of theirdescent by slow degrees.
Matt, braced on the sloping floor of the car, watched the fireapparently come up toward them. A little later he was able to make outthree human figures against the firelit background below, and a barelittle plateau took vague form under his eyes.
He watched the landing keenly, and noted how Brady suddenly shiftedthe steering rudder so as to bring the Hawk on an even keel, the lowersupports of the car just grazing the ground.
The three figures by the fire ran close.
"How's everything, Brady?" cried a voice.
"Finer than silk," called back Brady. "Stand by to catch the ropes, youfellows."
The murmur of the motor ceased, the revolving propeller came to a stop,and Pete flung out two ropes, one on each side of the car.
The ropes were caught by the men on the ground, a bight of each wasthrown around a stout stake driven into the earth at an angle, and theair-ship was drawn down and safely moored.
Matt was now able to understand why Brady had taken his place as driverfor the landing. Not only was the method of making a landing new toMatt, but there was also danger, unless one was familiar with theplace, of scraping the trees that covered the swamp and hemmed in thecleared space called the "island."
Matt started to spring over the rail of the car.
"Stop, King!" cried Brady. "You don't want to make a bolt for thetimber and get mired in the swamp, do you? Just remember you're stillunder orders. Take him to the roost, Needham, you and Whipple. Bettertie him up until he gets used to the place and to our society. He's abit strange, here, and none too willing to stay."
"Did you bring the loot, Brady?" called one of the men.
"Sure! This is moving-day with us and you didn't think I was going toleave all that stuff on Hoyne Street, did you? Get out of the car,King," he went on, to Matt. "Whipple and Needham will take care of you."
Two of the three men had stepped to the side of the car. In the lightof the fire, which was blazing at a safe distance from the air-ship,Matt discovered that Needham and Grove had been the two aeronauts whohad had such hard luck with the Hawk during the preceding day.
Needham, who, with Whipple, was facing Matt and waiting for him to getover the air-ship's rail, gave a husky laugh.
"We got out of that scrape, all right," said he, "even if we did loseour drag-rope."
"And you got me into another scrape," said Matt. "You fellows will payfor this!"
"Chirp low, young feller," warned Whipple, catching him by the arm ashe gained the ground; "your cue is to make friends with us an' notbluster about what ye're goin' ter do. There's five husky men here, an'we're all surrounded by a swamp that would mire ye up ter the eyes ifye tried ter git through it. Oh, I reckon ye won't git away ter makeany of us pay fer anythin'! This way, an' step lively."
With Needham and Whipple on each side of him and hanging to an arm,Matt was led across the open space, past the fire, and to the doorof a small, roughly built shanty. A little way off there was anotherbuilding, fully as small but apparently somewhat better built.
"This here's the roost," announced Whipple, "an' it's where ye're terpass the rest o' the night. Come in, an' come peaceable."
It was part of Matt's plan, hastily formed on the air-ship just afterthe girl had spoken to him, to accept passively whatever came hisway--at least for a time. The girl had said that she would help himescape, and there was that about her which had awakened his confidence.Not only that, but there was also something in the girl's face thathad aroused his sympathy. She had a history, he was sure, and one thatwas far from pleasant.
There were five cots in the "roost," and Matt was told to lie down onone of them.
"Harper used to sleep there," remarked Needham, as Matt stretchedhimself out on the hard bed, "and the deuce only knows where poor oldHarper is no
w. You're taking his place, King, and so it's only rightyou should have his cot."
It was on Matt's tongue to say that Needham had another guess coming,but he held his peace. He would not show too much of the hostile sideof his feelings until he had had a chance to talk with the girl.
"What's the use of tying me," expostulated Matt, as ropes were beingput in place around his wrists and ankles, "if it's impossible for meto get away?"
"Orders," answered Whipple, curtly.
After Matt was made secure, Whipple and Needham went out of thehut. The young motorist had had a trying day, and even his excitingsituation was powerless to keep the sleep from his eyes. He dozed off,while his thoughts were trying to straighten out the queer tanglein which events had bound him. He roused up for a moment when Pete,Whipple, Needham and Grove came into the hut and dropped down on theircots, but almost immediately he went to sleep again.
It seemed as though he had hardly closed his eyes the second timebefore he was awakened by a light hand pressed upon his forehead. Theother cots in the room were empty, it was morning, and the girl wasstanding beside him.
"I have brought your breakfast," said she, in a low voice. "We can talka little, but will have to be quick. Dad, or some of the men, may comein here at any second! There's a lot that you've got to know, and----"
She was interrupted by the sharp explosion of a firearm outside.Stifling a cry, she whirled from the cot and ran to the open door.