Motor Matt's Daring Rescue; or, The Strange Case of Helen Brady
Page 11
CHAPTER XI.
THE MANSION ON THE RIVER.
The Hawk, flying low over a populous country, attracted a good dealof attention. People--men, women and children--came out of theirhouses to stare and wonder. Probably most of them had read, in theirdaily papers, of the exploits of Motor Matt and his air ship, so thedirigible gas bag did not take them wholly by surprise. Some of thoseon the ground started to follow the craft, looking up and shouting asthey ran.
"We don't want a gang of curious people trailing us clear to RiverForest," growled Harris. "Speed her up, Matt."
"This is fast enough for me," observed Sanders. "I guess I'd be a loteasier in my mind, too, if you'd keep her close enough to the ground soI could tumble out if anything slips a cog."
"No cog ever slips," replied Harris, "with King in charge of theengine. He knows what he's doing, every time and all the time."
"Vell, you bed my life!" cried Carl. "He iss my bard, too, und I mighdtschust as vell haf peen mit him und der Hawk, Harris, as runningaroundt mit you in La Grange. Vat ve dit vasn't nodding. Ve hat to comepack py Modor Matt to findt oudt vat vas going on."
"No dream about that, either," said Harris grimly. "We did a lot oftelegraphing, in La Grange, but even that was lost time if Brady hasgiven us a proper steer."
Matt had thrown more power into the propeller. In spite of her heavyload the Hawk was making about twenty miles an hour. The wind wasbehind her, what little there was, and that helped.
"Now that we're going in good shape, Matt," said Harris, "tell me whatBrady said."
"Dick will do that, Harris," answered Matt. "I want to give my wholeattention to the engine."
Ferral gave the three officers and Carl the gist of Brady's information.
"First time on record, I guess," commented Burton, "that a crook likeBrady ever walked right back into the 'pen.'"
"It's a cinch that he wouldn't have walked back, either," observedHarris, "if he hadn't been so hungry to land Pete and Whipple in thesame place. We're coming close to River Forest now, Matt," the officeradded, taking their bearings with a critical eye, "and we've got tobe careful not to arouse the curiosity of the townspeople. That lineof timber, over there, marks the course of the river. Caspar's houseis about a mile to the right. You'd better turn from the railroad andstrike across country. And you'd better keep as low as you can, sothe woods will screen our approach to the house. If Whipple, or Pete,should see us, they might try to clear out in that automobile."
The turn at right angles to their course carried the Hawk acrossfarming land and toward a point of the woods near which, Harris stated,the Caspar mansion was located. In order to keep the timber between theair ship and the house, Matt dropped so low that the bottom of the caronly safely cleared the fences.
"Blamed if you can't do about whatever you want to with this machine!"exclaimed Burton enthusiastically. "I've read about the Hawk, and aboutJerrold's air ship, the Eagle, but I hadn't no idee they'd been figureddown to such a fine point."
"The time is coming," said Matt, "when people will own air ships justas they own automobiles now."
"Not me," averred Sanders. "The time'll never come when I trust my neckto a few cubic feet of gas and a motor. The solid ground'll do me forquite a spell yet."
"Better come down at the edge of the timber, Matt," counseled Harris,indicating a favorable spot. "There's a place where you can moor her toa fence post on one side and to a telephone pole on the other. You'llhave to look out for the wires."
"You can't pass under 'em!" cried Sanders, in trepidation.
"Then we'll jump over them," said Matt coolly, and the slant he gavethe car in making the "jump" caused all hands to hang on for dear lifeto keep from being spilled out.
The manoeuvre, however, was effected in the neatest kind of style, theHawk skimming over the topmost wire, and changing her course during thedescent so that, when Matt brought her to an even keel on the surfaceof the ground, she was parallel with the telephone line and justbetween the farm fence and one of the poles.
Sanders scrambled out with an exclamation of thankfulness.
"If we go back with any prisoners," said he, "we'll not travel by airship."
"Not by _this_ air ship, anyhow, Mr. Sanders," laughed Matt, "for herpassenger capacity is limited."
Harris helped put the mooring ropes in place.
"It won't do to leave the car unguarded, Matt," said he, when the airship was safely fastened. "I don't think there's anything to be fearedfrom those in the house, for we're going to keep them busy, but someone might happen along and get to tampering with the machinery."
"I'll leave Ferral and Carl to look after the craft," returned Matt."As for me, though, I want to go along with you and see if everythingat the house is as we expect to find it. If Helen Brady is going to berescued, I want to have a share in the work."
"Come along, then," said Harris, starting off through the woods.
"Oof you findt anyvone vat iss spoiling for a fighdt," Carl calledafter them, "send him dis vay, oof you blease. I t'ink I vas spoilingfor vone meinseluf."
"Never mind him, mates," laughed Ferral; "just let him spoil. Carl'stoo full of fight for his own good, anyhow."
Only a short stretch of timber lay between the advancing party and thehouse. When they came upon the premises, they approached from the rear.
The house was large and had an old-fashioned mansard roof. The mainpart of the structure was three stories in height. There was anaddition at the back that terminated at the lower part of the secondstory. The grounds were extensive, and entirely surrounded by an ironfence. A large stable filled in the back part of the yard.
Most of the windows of the house were boarded up, although here andthere was one that had not been closed. There was no barricade at therear door.
"Post yourself at the kitchen door, Sanders," said Harris, "and watchthe rear of the house and give some attention to the side. I'll placeBurton at a front corner, so he can watch the other side and the front.Matt isn't armed, so he can come with me while I try to rout out thegang, but keeping well behind and looking out for trouble."
Sanders placed himself at the kitchen door, revolver in hand, and theother three moved off around the house to the front. Burton, as alreadyindicated by Harris, was placed at a front corner, where he could notonly command the entrance but the side Sanders had not been instructedto look after.
"The lower windows are all boarded up on the first floor, so I guessthere won't be any getaways through them," commented Harris. "About theonly points it is absolutely necessary to watch are the doors at frontand rear. Neither of those has been boarded over."
Harris, as he finished, started up the broad front steps. When hewas halfway up, the front door suddenly opened and a tall man showedhimself. The man was neither Pete nor Whipple, although his faceslightly resembled Pete's. The moment the man saw Harris, climbingupward with his drawn revolver, he started back. The policeman made adash upward, but the door was slammed in his face.
"They know what we want," muttered Harris, "and it looks like they weregoing to fight. That fellow must have been Hooligan. Well, I don'twant to smash in Mr. Caspar's front door, so we'll try persuasion.We've got the rascals bottled up, and it won't do them any good toresist. If----"
The crack of a revolver rang out, and a whiff of smoke eddied upwardfrom one of the barricaded front windows. The bullet whistleduncomfortably close to Harris' head, and even Matt heard the sing ofit, although it must have missed him by a foot or more.
"Down, Matt!" shouted Harris, throwing himself over the rail at theside of the steps and dropping under the protection of the foundationof the veranda. "Get into safer quarters, my lad," he went on, as theyoung motorist landed beside him. "The rascals have loopholes in thosewindow barricades. I wonder what they hope to gain by such work?"
"Hello, you!" called an angry voice, muffled in tone, from behind theboards where the shot had been fired.
"Hello, yourself!" shouted Harris, peering out
from his place ofconcealment. "What do you mean by firing at us?"
"Ye're trespassin' on Mr. Caspar's ground," went on the man in thehouse, "an' I'm here to protect the property. Clear out!"
"We're officers of the law," cried Harris, "and you're giving refuge toa couple of fugitives from justice. Is your name Hooligan?"
"What of it?" came the defiant response.
"Well, if you are," proceeded Harris, "I'll give you just five minutesto open that front door and shove your brother, Pete, and his pal,Whipple, out onto the veranda. After we have taken care of them, we'llhave you send the girl. I guess you know what we want. The quicker youobey me, Hooligan, the better it will be for you."
"I know my business," continued the angry voice, "an' if ye don't gitoff these grounds ye'll never live to git off."
"That's a game two can play at, Hooligan," answered Harris coolly."We're going to get the people we've come for if we have to batter inthe door."
"Yes, ye will!" whooped another voice, which Matt plainly recognized asWhipple's. "Ye'll never git us alive."
"That's Whipple, Harris," whispered Matt.
"Glad to know you're there, Whipple," shouted Harris grimly. "Now weknow we're on the right track. You and Pete have got five minutes tocome out and give yourselves up."
"Ye got a picter of us comin' out!" taunted the voice. "We canshoot--ye'll find that out--but, if ye press us too close, it's goin'to be worse for the girl. If ye'll clear out an' let us go, we'll lether go; if ye won't clear out, then it'll be a case o' up-sticks withHelen Brady."
Matt's heart sank like lead. The scoundrels had the girl with them, andthey were seeking to make her safety their protection. How far wouldthey carry their murderous threats? The young motorist's blood ran coldas he thought of Helen Brady's danger.