The aëroplane flight was Motor Matt's own particular part of the show. It was an instructive part, too, for aside from the thrill of seeing a human being piloting a big mechanical bird through the air the observers were given the last word in aërial navigation.
"What's on your mind, pard?" asked McGlory, halting at Matt's side. "You're as thoughtful as a cold game gent who's looking into the open end of a gun."
"Have you seen anything of Ping, Joe?" said Matt.
"Chink 'signs' haven't been at all plentiful since our squinch-eyed brother tried to run out the Hindoo's trail."
"I'd like to know where the boy is, that's all."
"Don't fret about him. I'd like to have a picture of Ping in a corner he couldn't get out of. You take it from me, Johnny Hardluck hasn't got such a corner in his whole bag of tricks."
At that moment Burton rode up to the aëroplane on his favorite saddler.
"Innocent or guilty?" he asked, leaning down from his saddle and accompanying the words with a significant wink.
"Innocent, of course," answered the king of the motor boys.