THE BALLOON HOUSE.
"Yah!" shouted Carl. "Vat I dell you, Matt? I knew dere vas somet'ing der madder! Dem two fellers vas t'ieves, und dey haf shtole der air-ship. Py shinks, dey haf got demselufs indo drouple, und it vas goot enough for dem. Vat you going to do?"
Matt had begun turning the machine in the road. When he had pointed it the other way, he started off at a swift pace on the trail of the two men in the buggy.
"We'll try and overhaul those two fellows," answered Matt, "and tell them what we know. The information we've picked up may be valuable to them."
"Dey don't vas endidled to it," averred Carl. "Vy ditn't dey shtop und ask us somet'ings? Anyvay, how can dey ketch a flying machine mit a horse und puggy? You mighdt as vell dry to ketch a sky rocket mit a papy carriage."
"The Hawk will have to come down," said Matt, "and if those men are anywhere near it when it hits the earth they'll be able to recover the machine and catch the thieves."
"Oof der machine hits der eart' so hardt as vat I t'ink, it von't be vort' nodding, nor der t'ieves neider."
"There's a chance that the rascals will come down safely. If those men in the buggy had had their wits about them, they'd have hitched their rig to the fence and have jumped into the automobile. We could have hustled them over the ground four times as fast as they were going."
A few moments later the boys reached a place where the road branched. The horse and buggy were not in sight along either road.