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

  CHAPTER VII.

  AT THE BALLOON HOUSE.

  Late that afternoon Matt and Carl went into Chicago on the train. Theyoung motorist had to sever his connection with the Lestrange people,who were the eastern representatives of the Jarrot Automobile Company,for whom Matt had won the Borden cup during the recent Kansas race.

  While Matt was at the office of the Lestrange Company, Carl was to goto the boarding house, settle their bill, and get their baggage.

  Meanwhile, Dick Ferral went to the balloon house to keep watch over theHawk with the two officers on guard there.

  The Lestrange people were more than sorry to lose Matt's services.There was no driver who could get more speed out of a racing car thanMotor Matt, and it was largely his driving that had won the five-dayrace at the Coliseum for the Jarrot car. Matt agreed, before he leftthe Lestrange offices, that if ever he drove in another race, hewould give the Lestrange and Jarrot people first chance to secure hisservices. Then, with his back pay in his pocket, he made his way to theTwelfth Street Station, met Carl with the luggage, and they returned toSouth Chicago.

  Matt and Carl went to the hotel to stay all night, and the two officerswho had been on duty at the balloon house, having been relieved by afresh detail, came in about nine in the evening and informed Matt thatFerral was going to stay at the balloon house until morning.

  "Verral is afraidt der machine vill fly avay mit itseluf," chuckledCarl.

  "It's all right to be on the safe side," said Matt. "I guess that therewon't be anything happen to the Hawk, with two policemen and Dick tolook after her."

  "Sure nod," agreed Carl. "Vere vill Ferral shleep?"

  "There's a small sleeping room in the back of the big shed. Bradyused to spend his nights there when he had the air ship under theroof. There's a fixture in the room for supplying the Hawk withilluminating gas. Brady used to manufacture hydrogen, but since thepolice department has had charge of the air ship, the supply of gas hascome from the city gas works. Oh, Dick will be comfortable enough, outthere, and when we join him in the morning we'll take his breakfastalong."

  It was the intention of the three chums to start on their long journeyto New York the following morning. Matt had bought a compass and anumber of maps covering the country they would cross. For a long timehe sat up, studying the maps and figuring on the towns at which theywould stop during their flight. It was nearly midnight when he went tobed, and Carl had been snoring for several hours.

  Both boys were up bright and early. They ate a hearty breakfast, andMatt had a meal packed away in a box for Dick. It was about half-pastsix when they were ready to start for the balloon house, and Mattsuddenly remembered that the papers completing the transfer of the airship had not come from the chief.

  "I'll go on out to the balloon house with my satchel and the box ofgrub for Dick," said Matt, "and you go to police headquarters, Carl,and ask the chief for the papers he was to get for me. If the chiefisn't there yet, see Harris. It may be you'll have to go to the chief'shouse."

  "All righdt," answered Carl, "schust so you don'd fly avay und leaf me."

  "You can bet we won't do that, Carl. We'll wait until you get therebefore we start."

  The two chums separated in front of the hotel, Carl walking rapidlytoward police headquarters, and Matt turning toward the outskirts ofthe town and striding away in the direction of the black smoke from therolling mills.

  Ferral, once more in his sailor rig, was out in front of the balloonhouse, and gave a yell when he saw Matt coming down the road.

  Matt dropped the satchel and lunch box over the fence at the roadside,jumped after them, and then started across the swampy stretch of ground.

  "Ahoy, old raggie!" whooped Ferral, whose enthusiasm seemed to havegrown during the night. "Our ship's pulling at her cables, just asthough she's as anxious to get away as we are. Where's Carl?"

  "I sent him to the police department after those papers the chief wasto get for us," replied Matt. "Here's some breakfast for you, Dick.Better get on the outside of it as soon as you can. By the way, haven'tyou some luggage in Chicago you'll want to get?"

  "I sent all my luggage through to Quebec. When I travel, Matt, I alwaystravel light. Mighty nice of you to remember my 'scran,'" Ferral added,as he took the box Matt handed him.

  While he was eating, the two officers came around the end of thebuilding.

  "Our orders was to pull out as soon as you got here, King," said oneof them. "You're goin' to leave purty soon, anyhow, ain't you?"

  "Just as soon as we can get the Hawk out of the shed. Our Dutch pardwill be here by that time."

  "I'd like to stay and see you off, but the old woman'll have mybreakfast ready, an' there's always a row if I don't get there whileit's hot. Good-by, an' good luck to you."

  "The same to you, officer."

  The policeman started off toward the road, and Matt went around tothe front of the balloon house to open the doors. The doors comprisedalmost the whole end of the building, and when they were open, theinterior of the shed was well lighted by the sun.

  The Hawk seemed fit and ready for any work she might be called upon todo. As Matt looked at the great swaying bag, the light car and its trimmachinery, he experienced a pride in the air ship he had never beforeknown. This was because the Hawk belonged partly to him, now.

  While in the balloon house, the air ship was not moored with ropes, butwas weighted down with sand bags hung to the under side of the car. Apull of a lever would release all the sand bags.

  There was a supply of gasoline in the shed, and also a small amountof oil. Matt filled the gasoline tank and the oil tank, saw that allropes belonging to the car were safely stowed, and that propeller andsteering rudder were working properly.

  By the time he had finished his survey, Ferral had got through with hisbreakfast and had joined him.

  "See anything of Carl, Dick?" asked Matt.

  "He wasn't in sight when I came in," replied Ferral.

  "Probably the chief wasn't at his office and Carl had to go to hishouse. He'll be along pretty soon, though. It's a fine morning for thestart. Hardly a breath of air stirring."

  Matt stowed his maps and compass in a little locker close to thedriver's chair.

  "We've got to have a compass, eh?" grinned Ferral.

  "It's just as well to have one," said Matt.

  "And charts! Keelhaul me, mate, but this is just like putting to sea ina ship."

  "It's about the same thing."

  "Only when we make landfall we drop to it. But what's the good of thecharts? We'll be off soundings all the time, and no danger of bouncingup on a reef."

  "It's a good thing to keep track of the towns we pass. If we need gas,we want to be able to figure on reaching a town big enough to supplyit."

  "Right-o, mate. I'll lay a month's pay your head's level on the wholebusiness, and that you've figured out everything connected with thecruise. Are we going to follow the railroad?"

  "Not much, Dick! We're going to strike a bee line for where we want togo. That's the beauty of traveling in an air ship. You don't have to goaround a mountain, or hunt for a place to cross a stream."

  "Strike me lucky, mate," jubilated Ferral, rubbing his hands, "I'mmighty glad I stopped over in Chicago to see you, and that we wereable to get our hooks on this air ship. The way the thing fell out, itseems like that was how it was meant to be. Everything that's happenedhas steered us both for the Hawk. If I hadn't dropped into that trapBrady, Jr., laid for me, I wouldn't have been out in the lake; and ifyou hadn't come along in the Hawk, just when you did, I couldn't havesaved my money; and if you hadn't picked me up, money and all, thatother lubber would have got ahead of us and grabbed the air ship. Oh,we've been main lucky, all around."

  "What will your uncle say," quizzed Matt, "when you write him you havebought an interest in an air ship?"

  "Bless the old chap! Why, matey, anything I do is all right for UncleJack. If I'd bought a menagerie, or a steam calliope, the old boy wouldhave cla
pped me on the shoulder and said I'd done well."

  "Well," laughed Matt, "that's mighty nice--for you. Suppose we get theHawk out of the shed? By the time we do that, Carl ought to be here."

  "Aye, aye, my hearty! How do you go to work to warp the craft out ofher berth? You'll have to tell me what to do, until I can learn theropes."

  "All we've got to do," said Matt, "is just to take hold of the car andpull the air ship through the door. These sand bags hold her steady. Becareful, though, that the gas bag don't strike the side of the door.It would cost us a lot of money, and delay us for a week or two, if wewere unlucky enough to rip the fabric."

  By working carefully, the boys got the front part of the Hawk throughthe end of the shed and into the open air. Matt was at the front of thecar, and Ferral was at the rear. While the young motorist bent to hiswork, he heard a noise as of running feet.

  Straightening himself quickly, he whirled around. Four roughly dressedmen were rushing at him from the corner of the shed. The rascals wereplainly hostile, as their clinched fists and their scowling facesproved. One of the scoundrels, who was within arm's length of Matt,halted and aimed a blow at him. Matt deftly evaded the blow. By thenthe others were near enough to take part in the set-to.

  "This way, Dick!" yelled Motor Matt, as he struck down one of theruffians.