CHAPTER XVI.
THE END OF THE MID-AIR TRAIL.
The failure of Carl, Harris and Jerrold to make a landing on the"island" has already been recorded.
They had seen the Hawk, moored at one edge of the cleared space,and they had seen Brady and the others; but, of course, it had beenimpossible for them to see anything of Matt. The young motorist, atthat time, was bound hand and foot and lying on the cot in the hut.
With bullets flying around them and threatening injury to the Eagle,it was not policy to remain hovering over such a nest of desperatescoundrels very long.
"We'll get out of here," cried Harris, angrily, "and come back with menand guns enough to give those fellows a taste of their own medicine.Don't let any harm come to the air-ship, Jerrold. We're going to needher, later."
Just as Harris finished speaking, a bullet slapped into the motor andthe machinery at once began to go wrong.
"Too late," responded Jerrold grimly; "they've already nipped us."
"Py chimineddy," roared Carl, "I vish I hat somet'ing vat I could shootmit ad dem fillains!"
Limping and staggering, Jerrold managed to urge the Eagle out of harm'sway.
"She won't drop on us, will she?" asked Harris, looking anxiouslydownward at the tree-tops.
"No," replied Jerrold, "the gas-bag is uninjured, so we can't fall; andthe motor is working, too, after a fashion, and that enables us to makea slow rate of speed. But there will have to be some repairs before wecan do anything more with the air-ship."
"Where'll we go to make them? Back to South Chicago?"
"Lake Station is nearer. We'll come down there and ascertain the extentof the damage. It may be that we shall have to go back to South Chicagoif the injury is at all serious."
"All right," acquiesced Harris. "I'll be able to do some telephoningand get a few more men out here from headquarters. I'll have them bringrifles, and then we'll give Brady a set-to that he'll remember."
"I ditn't see Matt in der blace," mourned Carl.
"He may have been there," said Harris. "There were two sheds, and theymay be keeping your chum a prisoner in one of them."
"Vell, vile ve're avay fixing oop der Eagle, meppy dose fellers packdere vill fly off mit demselufs in der Hawk. Oof dey do dot, den vevill have some drouple for our pains."
"We shall have to keep watch of the sky in the direction of the swamp,"said Jerrold. "By doing that we can tell whether or not the Hawk getsaway."
Carl made that his work.
"I don'd know how I can see mit der naked eye ven ve ged py LakeSdation," he remarked.
"We'll have to hunt up a spyglass, or a pair of binoculars," suggestedHarris.
"Vat oof der Hawk moofs pefore we ged dem?"
"Then we'll be up against it, and no mistake."
There was a lot of excitement in the little town of Lake Station when areal, sure enough air-ship descended close to the blacksmith shop. Thewhole population gathered and stared.
While Jerrold was busy tinkering with his crippled motor, Carlsucceeded in finding an old-fashioned spyglass and climbed with itto the top of the highest building in town. There he perched himselfon the edge of the roof and watched continually in the direction ofWilloughby's swamp.
Meanwhile, Harris had been talking with police headquarters in SouthChicago. As a result, three officers were detailed to catch the firsttrain for Lake Station.
The repairs to be made to the Eagle were somewhat extensive, and taxedthe capacity of the blacksmith shop. Had Jerrold been in his ownworkroom he could have fixed up the motor more easily and quickly, butto take the Eagle back to South Chicago would have resulted in a lossof time.
Hour after hour the inventor labored, helped by the blacksmith andeyed with wonder by the townspeople. The detail of officers arrived,and they could do nothing but wait until the Eagle was ready to carrythem to the "island" in the swamp. Any attempt to reach the "island" onfoot was hardly to be considered.
While Jerrold's labors were nearing completion, a yell from Carl calledthe attention of Harris.
"What's the matter with you?" he shouted.
Carl was dancing around on the roof top, waving the spyglassfrantically.
"Come oop!" he cried, wildly. "Der Hawk is gedding avay mit itseluf!Ach, plazes, vat a luck!"
Harris made haste to reach the top of the building where Carl had beenpatiently waiting and watching.
"Pud der spyglass to your eye, Harris," said Carl, "und look off to dernort'. Ach, dose fellers haf made some ged-avays, und I bed you deyhave dook Matt along!"
With the glass at his eye, Harris swept the horizon in the directionindicated by Carl. Finally he found what he was looking for--anoblong blot gliding through the heavens and proceeding in a northerlydirection.
"That's the Hawk, all right," said he, in a tone of intensedisappointment, "but why is it heading in that direction?"
"Prady vouldn't dare go pack by Sout' Chicago," said Carl. "I bed yousomet'ing for nodding he has got anodder hang-oudt in dot tirections.Ach, vat vill I do for dot bard oof mine?"
Gloomily the two descended from the roof, and Carl returned thespyglass to its owner.
Half an hour later the Eagle was ready for flight, and the officers andCarl got aboard. It was decided to proceed to the swamp and look overthe "island" and then, if nothing of importance developed, to return toSouth Chicago.
The Eagle's motor, apparently, worked as well as ever, and the fourmiles separating Willoughby's swamp from Lake Station were covered inrecord time.
As they neared the "island" the officers made ready to use theirguns. There was no hostile demonstration, however, and not a soul wasanywhere in sight. The Eagle descended, and the officers, accompaniedby the anxious Carl, proceeded to make a search.
They found nothing but two meagerly furnished houses, apparentlyrecently deserted. Silence reigned everywhere, ominous of events thathad happened.
"Vell," said Carl, gloomily, "dis means dot I haf got to do some morelooking for Modor Matt. Der gang haf made off mit him some more, und Ivas so tisappointed as I can't dell."
For that matter, they were all disappointed--Jerrold in particular.Motor Matt had served Jerrold well, and the inventor had been anxiousto make him some repayment in kind.
But there was nothing left for the air-ship party to do but to pointthe Eagle toward home. As the air-ship passed the rolling mills andcame close to the balloon house where Brady had formerly housed theHawk, it was observed by those in the car that the doors of the bigbuilding were closed, and that two officers had mounted guard in frontof them.
"That means something," muttered Harris. "Drop lower, Jerrold, so I cantalk with those two cops."
Jerrold descended until the top of the car was nearly on a level withthe balloon house, and Harris leaned over the guard rail.
"Hello!" he called. "What are you fellows doing there?"
"Watching the air-ship," was the astounding answer.
"Do you mean to say that Brady's air-ship is in that balloon house?"
"Sure."
"Has Brady been captured?"
"Why, no. You went after him, didn't you?"
"We went after him, but he and his men fired on us and damaged ourmotor. We went to Lake Station to fix the machinery, and while we werethere we caught sight of the Hawk, through a spyglass, making north. Assoon as we could, we started for the swamp, but there was no one there.Naturally, we supposed that Brady and his gang had made their escape,and it's mighty surprising to hear that the Hawk is back in its oldcage and didn't bring Brady along."
"The Hawk brought Motor Matt----"
Carl gave a yell and nearly fell out of the car.
"Modor Matt?" he shouted. "Vas you shdringing me, oder iss it shdraightgoots?"
"I'm giving it to you straight," answered the officer on the ground."Motor Matt got away from the swamp and brought two prisoners with him,in the Hawk. They were two of the men who robbed Jerrold of his plans."
"Zum lauderbach haben, mi
ch shtets----" began Carl, singing loudly andthen interrupting himself to gloat. "Dot's my bard vat dit dot! Yah,so! Leedle Modor Matt who iss alvays doing t'ings vat you don'd oxbect.He has shtarred himseluf some more, you bed you! Vere iss Modor Mattnow, officer?" Carl called down.
"He took a train into Chicago--said he was behind his schedule for thatfive-day race. The two prisoners are at police headquarters."
"Well, by thunder!" muttered Harris, mopping his face with a redhandkerchief, "that Motor Matt must be a regular young phenomenon!"
"I never heard of anything to beat him!" averred Jerrold.
"Und you nefer vill!" declared Carl. "He iss vone oof dose fellers vatcan't be peat."
"You might take us to police headquarters, Jerrold," suggested Harris.
"Und you mighdt shtop on der vay py der railroadt sdation," piped Carl."I vant to ged py Chicago so kevick as der nation vill led me."
* * * * *
When Carl next saw Matt, the young motorist was spinning around thegreat oval in a Jarrot machine, which he knew so well and had drivento victory in Kansas. The five-day race was not for one driver alone,but several drivers were to be at the steering wheel of each car. Matthad reached the Coliseum just in time to take his place in the racingschedule.
Every time Matt whirled around the oval, Carl had something to sayto him, but it was not until evening that the boys were able to gettogether for a talk.
They decided between them that Brady, and those whom Matt had left onthe "island," must have made their escape from the swamp by a secretroute known only to themselves.
Where Harper, the driver of the Hawk was, was likewise a mystery to thepolice.
Matt had turned the bag of loot stolen from Hartz & Greer over to thepolice with instructions to say that it was recovered by Miss Brady,and that no reward would be accepted for its return.
"How you tink dot air-ship pitzness is, anyvays, Matt?" asked Carl,when the boys had had their talk out and were ready to crawl into bed.
"I _like_ it," answered Matt, enthusiastically, "and I wish I couldhave more of it!"
His wish was destined to fulfillment, for, as events proved, histhrilling work in South Chicago and at Willoughby's swamp was butthe beginning of a series of air-ship experiences. Matt may havecongratulated himself with the thought that he was through with HectorBrady, but Brady was by no means done with Matt--as will be made clearin the story to follow.
THE END.
THE NEXT NUMBER (10) WILL CONTAIN
Motor Matt's Hard Luck;
OR,
THE BALLOON-HOUSE PLOT.
An Old Friend--A Trap--Overboard--Rescued--Buying the Hawk--Matt Scores Against Jameson--At the Balloon House--The Plot of the Brady Gang--Carl is Surprised--Helen Brady's Clue--Jerrold Gives His Aid--Grand Haven--The Line On Brady--The Woods by the River--Brady a Prisoner--Back in South Chicago.