Motor Matt's Hard Luck; or, The Balloon-House Plot

by Stanley R. Matthews

  CHAPTER XII.

  GRAND HAVEN.

  Jerrold soon demonstrated the fact that the Eagle was a much fastercraft than the Hawk. As already stated, there was scarcely any wind, sothe Eagle had practically no adverse air current to contend against.Pointing the air ship east by south, Jerrold tuned up the engine, andthe speed they made was marvelous. They could form a tolerable idea ofthe swiftness of their flight by watching the surface of the earth,some five hundred feet below them.

  "She's certainly a swifter craft than the Hawk," remarked Ferral.

  "I will improve the Hawk for you," said Jerrold, "so she will be justas swift as the Eagle."

  "Oof ve efer ged der Hawk pack, vich ve don'd know," struck in Carl.

  "We _must_ get her back," averred Matt.

  "The biggest trouble with air ships equipped with gasoline," continuedJerrold, "is the fact that the slightest change in the temperatureaffects the buoyancy. Even a cloud over the sun will cause the gas tocontract, and the difference in heat thrown off by the sun at morningand noon will expand the gas and also disturb the equilibrium. Now Ihave an improvement that remedies that. It consists of a smaller baginside the gas bag, filled with a vapor of my own invention. When thebuoyancy of the outer bag decreases, that of the inner bag increases,and _vice versa_. That gives us a unit of buoyancy which is always thesame, and leaves the propeller free to carry us in any direction."

  "Greadt!" cried Carl. "I don'd ondershtand vat you vas gedding ad,aber I bed it vas somet'ing fine. Ach!" and he looked downward, "hereve go ofer der lake. I hope dere iss some ships all along der vay, sodot oof anyt'ing habbens ve can trop down ondo vone oof dem."

  "Don't worry about our dropping into the water, Carl," smiled Jerrold,"for there is absolutely no danger of that."

  In an hour the Eagle was out of sight of land. The sails of one or twoschooners could be seen far away on the horizon, but they were too faroff to be considered "company."

  As the Eagle plowed on and on through the sunny air, with never a hitchor a sign of anything going wrong, Carl's fears slowly subsided and hetook delight in this novel experience of crossing a large body of water.

  For a time, Matt relieved Jerrold at the motor. So far as the youngmotorist could see, the Eagle handled as easily as the Hawk; besidesthat, there were points of superiority about her, in addition to speed,as compared with the Brady air ship.

  For three hours the Eagle was over the lake, and then Ferral, with ashout, announced:

  "Land ho, messmates, right under our fore foot!"

  Harris examined the shore line, critically. A little later, when theywere nearer, he turned to Jerrold.

  "We're a bit south of Grand Haven," said he, "about two miles, I shouldjudge. I can see the cottages on the trolley line that follows the lakeshore."

  Jerrold was about to shift the steering rudder so as to point the Eagledirectly for the town, when Matt interposed.

  "It strikes me," said Matt, "that it would be better for us to landoutside the town and go in on the trolley. If we took the Eagle overthe place, the whole town would be out to see us. That would make itimpossible for us to take this Ochiltree by surprise, and might giveBrady and his gang a chance to clear out."

  "That's a level-headed suggestion," declared Harris. "An air shiparouses everybody's curiosity, and if Brady and his gang saw us, orheard about us, they'd know at once that we were on their track withthe Eagle. Make a landing on the lake shore, Jerrold. That ought to beeasy, as the beach is clear of obstructions and covered with good whitesand."

  "It's never hard for me to make a landing with the Eagle," saidJerrold. "I can come down anywhere, and ascend from anywhere."

  He took a look over the side.

  "Right ahead looks like an excellent place," he went on, as he drewback. "The trees run right down to the beach, and there are no housesnear. That means that our descent will be screened, and that we'll notarouse so much curiosity as we would if we alighted in a more populousplace."

  Instructed by Carl, Ferral, and Harris, Jerrold brought the air shipto rest on the beach without the slightest difficulty.

  "Now to call on this fellow Ochiltree," said Harris briskly, as hestepped out of the car. "We can't all go, and I'd suggest that Carlstay here with Jerrold and watch the car while Matt, Ferral, and Icall on the police department here and see if we can find out whereOchiltree lives."

  Carl's face fell. If there was going to be any trouble, he had hopedthat he would have as big a part in it as any of the rest of them.

  Ferral, noting Carl's long face, clapped him on the back.

  "Don't go into the doldrums, my hearty," cried Ferral. "If Brady andhis gang should find out that the Eagle is here, you and Jerrold mayhave more trouble on your hands than the rest of us."

  Carl brightened visibly.

  "Py shinks," said he, "I hatn't t'ought oof dot. Aber you bed you candrust us to dake care oof der Eagle."

  Without waiting longer, Harris led Matt and Ferral through the timberand to the tracks of the trolley line. They had not long to wait beforea car came along, headed toward Grand Haven. Apparently, neither theconductor nor the motorman had seen the descent of the Eagle, for theyhad nothing to say about the air ship.

  "We're playing in great luck, right at the start-off," said Harris, ina low tone. "In how many places in this country, do you think, could anair ship come down without having a curious crowd around it inside offive minutes? Not many, I'll bet; and yet, here we make a landing inthe midst of a summer resort and not so much as a dog comes out to barkat us."

  "A good thing for us, too," returned Ferral. "If there's anything to beaccomplished in Grand Haven, we can do it, for all the odds are in ourfavor."

  "Exactly," said Harris. "That's the point I was trying to make."

  In ten minutes they reached Grand Haven, and in fifteen minutes theywere at police headquarters, and Harris was having an interview withthe head of the department. Harris was not long with that official, andwhen he came out he took a chair between Matt and Ferral.

  "Prospects are bright," said he. "The chief here knows all aboutOchiltree, and says he's a shady character and has a record. We've gotto wait for a few minutes for a plain-clothes man who is going with usto call on the party."

  "Did the chief say anything about another air ship?" asked Matt.

  "I was coming to that," went on Harris. "Yes, another air ship was seencrossing over the town about two hours ago. Everybody was out to lookat it, and the chief says there were four or five men in the car."

  "That would be Whipple, Pete, Harper, and Brady," put in Matt.

  "That's the way I had figured it out. Young Brady wasn't picked up bythe other four that got the Hawk away from you at the balloon house. Itwould be a great piece of work if we could capture the whole gang."

  Just then a small man, with a restless black eye and a beak-like face,pushed up to where Harris and the boys were talking.

  "My name's Dennison," said he. "The chief has told me what you wanted,and I'm to take you to Ochiltree's place."

  Harris gave Dennison his name and introduced Matt and Ferral.

  "We hadn't better lose much time," suggested Dennison. "The fellowwe're looking for is usually at home this time of the day."

  "The quicker we can wind this up, the better," said Harris. "Lead theway, Dennison, and we'll be right behind you."

  The course they followed took them across the river and then along theopposite bank in the direction of the life-saving station. There, in apatch of scrub, they came upon a small, shanty-like house.

  As a precautionary move, Dennison went around to the back door, andleft Harris and the boys to present themselves at the front.

  It was well this precaution was taken. Although Harris rapped andpounded, no one answered his summons for several minutes. When a voicewas finally heard from within the house, it was Dennison's.

  "Come in, Harris," he called. "If the front door's locked, come aroundto the back of the house."

  Th
e front door, however, was not locked. Harris and the boys opened itand walked in. They found Dennison, revolver in hand, standing in frontof a sulky, black-whiskered man, who was sitting in a chair.

  "He didn't like your looks," explained Dennison, "and so he wouldn'topen the door. On the contrary, he tried to get away by the rear of thehouse, and so ran into me. All that looks suspicious, on the face ofit."

  "I'm tryin' ter do an honest turn," growled Ochiltree, "an' you copskeep naggin' me. It's a wonder I don't go wrong, when ye're allexpectin' me to."

  "What did you try to duck by the back way for?" demanded Dennison.

  "I ain't anxious fer callers," was the sullen response.

  "Has Brady been here to see you?"

  "Brady?" queried Ochiltree. "Who's Brady?"

  "Come, Ochiltree, that won't go down. You haven't forgotten your oldfriend Brady, have you?"

  "Never heard o' such a feller. If he's----"

  Matt, who had been looking curiously around the room, glimpsed some onethrough the front window, stealthily approaching the house.

  "Hist!" the young motorist whispered, turning to Harris. "Here comesHarper, now."

  Ochiltree began to squirm uneasily in his chair.

  "Luck again!" muttered Harris exultantly. "Keep Ochiltree covered,Dennison, and be sure he doesn't open his mouth to call a warning. I'lltake care of Harper. He's one of the gang and can give us a line onBrady."

  Harris stole noiselessly to the door. Matt likewise crowded up close toit on the other side.

  The instant Harper rapped, Harris flung the door open, and he and Mattgrabbed the astounded caller and dragged him into the room.