"Hello, there!" shouted a voice most unexpectedly from the sidewalk. "What're you up to, hey?"
Carl halted and looked around. In the glow of the furnace fires he saw a man standing in front of the house.
"Vat iss it your pitzness?" he snapped. "I'm going to ged indo dot blace oof I haf to preak holes in it!"
"I'll make it my business, quick enough!" called the other. "Come here, and be quick about it."
There was authority in the voice, and the command was accompanied by a backward sweep of the hand under a long coat. When the hand reappeared, there was a glimmering object clutched in the fingers. The light also glimmered on two rows of buttons on the speaker's coat.
"Ach, du lieber!" muttered Carl. "You vas an officer, hey?"
"Come here, quick!" ordered the man. "Tell me where that balloon came from. It seemed to rise from around in this vicinity somewhere."
By that time, Carl had reached the walk. The officer pointed upward, and Carl's eyes, following the finger, saw an air-ship clearly outlined against the glow of the blazing chimneys. The cigar-shaped gas-bag and the pendent car stood out plainly. The front end of the air-ship was pointed upward, and it was vanishing swiftly into the night.
"Himmelblitzen!" gasped Carl. "Dot vas der Hawk! It must be der Hawk!"
"Hawk, eh?" returned the officer. "What do you know about it? The thing seemed to rise up in the air from around here."