"Brady," answered Matt, "can have his air-ship back whenever he wants to show up and claim it."
There followed a brief silence, during which Matt noted that the wind was brisk, and from the north, and exulted over the speed the Hawk developed in the teeth of it.
"If I had my hat, and was able," said he, craning his head around to get a look at Matt, "I'd take it off to you."
The lad in the driver's seat made no response. He was hurrying toward South Chicago.
Where was the Eagle? The skies in every direction were clear and the other air-ship was nowhere to be seen.
Motor Matt, as he drove the air-ship steadily against the wind, kept close watch of the captured aeronauts.
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 been impossible for them to see anything of Matt. The young motorist, at that 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 desperate scoundrels very long.
"We'll get out of here," cried Harris, angrily, "and come back with men and 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 need her, later."
Just as Harris finished speaking, a bullet slapped into the motor and the 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 shoot mit ad dem fillains!"
Limping and staggering, Jerrold managed to urge the Eagle out of harm's way.
"She won't drop on us, will she?" asked Harris, looking anxiously downward at the tree-tops.
"No," replied Jerrold, "the gas-bag is uninjured, so we can't fall; and the motor is working, too, after a fashion, and that enables us to make a slow rate of speed. But there will have to be some repairs before we can 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 extent of the damage. It may be that we shall have to go back to South Chicago if the injury is at all serious."