By Ben Ali's cleverness in getting some white man to represent the agent of the British ambassador, the Hindoo had succeeded in luring1 his niece from the home of the English woman in whose care the girl had been left.
Once this was accomplished2, it was easy to guess how the artful Hindoo had proceeded. Miss Manners had been a hypnotic subject for so long that it was useless for her to attempt to fight against the black magic of her rascally3 uncle. He had but to catch her eye and snap his fingers, and the girl would be utterly4 in his power.
To fight such a man as Ben Ali called for ways and means at once bold and wary5. He was not to be easily snared6.
"You're as mum as an oyster," grunted7 Burton, as they neared the road. "I've spoken to you half a dozen times, and you didn't seem to hear me. Come back to earth now, and tell me what's on your mind?"
"I'll tell you later, Burton," laughed Matt. "I've got a hard problem to solve, and I don't want to say anything about it until it's all worked out."
"From what you said at that house with the green shutters8, I take it you're not going back to the show with me?"
"No."
"Be back there in time to take the a?roplane aloft at six-thirty? The wind's down, and you can pull off the trick."
"There'll be no a?roplane flight this afternoon, Burton. I have more important matters to attend to."
Burton began to bristle9.
"By Jerry," he cried, "what am I giving you your salary for? We've missed one ascension to-day, and the people will be wild if we don't have one this afternoon."
"Then," answered Matt, "tell them that we'll give an a?roplane performance for the whole of Grand Rapids to-morrow. That ought to satisfy them, and I know you'll make a lot of capital out of it."
Burton stopped stock-still and stared.
"You're crazy?" he bluntly inquired. "To-morrow's Sunday, and I've never yet been able to get you to make an ascension on Sunday. Backsliding, eh?"
"For this one time," said Matt. "I'm not doing this for the benefit of your show, Burton, but because, as I size the matter up now, there's nothing else to be done."
"Whew!" whistled the showman, "you're about the biggest conundrum10, now and then, that I ever tackled. When'll you get back to the grounds?"
"This evening, some time."
"Hunt for me the minute you get there, and let me know what's up."
They found Ping waiting for them in the road. He was a disconsolate-looking Chinaman, and ran up to Matt the moment he slipped down the steep bank.
"You heap mad with Ping, huh?" the Chinese boy chattered11. "You know him makee shoot Loman candle, play plenty hob with side show? Woosh! My velly bad China boy."
Matt laughed. That laugh caused Ping to brighten.
"I'll have to forgive you this once, Ping," said Matt. "A whole lot of good has resulted from that flare-up in the side-show tent. But I don't like practical jokes—you know that. Get on the car and go back to the grounds with Burton. As for the Roman-candle business, we'll talk about that later."
"You no pullee pin on China boy?" faltered12 Ping.
"No. You make your peace with Carl, that's all."
"Hoop-a-la!" said Ping, and limped aboard an electric car that Burton had flagged.
Matt caught a car going the other way, and, as soon as he reached Monroe Street, hurried to the nearest automobile13 garage, bent14 upon making the most of the daylight that remained.
He hired a car and a driver who knew the city. It was a small roadster, and Matt had the driver take him beyond the city limits and out for five miles on the Elgin road.
They passed through a small oak opening, which looked[Pg 21] as though it might be the place where Ben Ali was to meet his crony, Dhondaram.
"This will be far enough," said Matt. "Now, turn around and take us back to town."
The king of the motor boys gave careful attention to all the landmarks15, going both ways. Returning, dusk had begun to fall, and his survey could not be as comprehensive as the one made on the outward trip. However, he was abundantly satisfied with the information he had acquired.
When they reached the garage, Matt bargained with the proprietor16 for a powerful touring car, with the same driver who had already been with him, to be at the show grounds at Reid's Lake at eight o'clock the following morning.
After that, he dropped in at a restaurant and had a good meal, then boarded a car for the lake, and rode back to the grounds with a crowd of people who were going to the evening performance of the show.
He had a good deal of amusement listening to the disappointed expressions of the people regarding the failure of Burton to have any a?roplane flights. Mixed up in the talk were a number of complimentary17 references to Motor Matt and his chums. These, so far as they applied18 to himself, the king of the motor boys tried not to hear. But, nevertheless, they caused a glow of satisfaction to mount to his face. It was certainly pleasant to know how his efforts in the line of duty had struck a popular chord.
That wild half-hour in the air, over Jackson, when Matt found his batteries short-circuited by a coiling cobra, had been exploited through the press. These, while arousing the popular admiration19, only made the general disappointment more keen because of the failure of the Saturday flights at Reid's Lake.
When Matt got off the car at the lake, he made his way to the brilliantly lighted show grounds, and repaired immediately to the calliope tent.
Burton was there, smoking a cigar and nervously20 walking back and forth21 in front of the canvas-covered calliope.
"The people are pulling me all to pieces, Matt," he cried the moment the king of the motor boys entered the tent. "They're saying we could just as well have had a flight to-night, that I'm not living up to my promises, and all that. By Jerry, it hurts!"
"Let it be announced in the circus tent," said Matt, "that there'll be a flight to-morrow morning at nine o'clock—not for exhibition purposes, as Motor Matt doesn't give a performance on Sunday—and that all who wish to can see it."
"Good!" declared Burton. "I guess that'll catch them. But what are you making the flight for, if not to please the people?"
"For the purpose of backcapping Ben Ali, capturing him, and finding out where he has taken Margaret Manners."
Burton whirled around and gave Matt a steady look.
"What have you got up your sleeve?" he demanded curtly22. "Are you going to try that, all alone, in the Comet?"
"Not all alone. You, and Twomley, and Joe are going to help. Send Harris and another trusty man over to that house with the green shutters, will you, and have them relieve the Englishman and McGlory. I want them here to talk with them."
Harris was Burton's brother-in-law, and a thoroughly23 reliable man in every respect.
"I've already sent them supper, a lantern, and a couple of chairs," said Burton, "but it seems to me all foolishness to hold the prisoners in the house. Why not send 'em to jail, where they belong?"
"Because Wily may not belong in jail, and because, if Dhondaram is taken there to-night, Ben Ali might hear of it and not present himself in that oak opening on the Elgin road to-morrow."
"Can't you tell me what you're going to do?"
"Not till Twomley and Joe get here."
With that, Matt dropped down on a cot, at one side of the tent, and tried to get a little rest. He was used to the band, and to the many other sounds that characterized a show just preceding a performance, and these did not bother him; but his head! that had suddenly begun to remind him that it had been badly treated during the afternoon.
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1
luring
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| 吸引，引诱（lure的现在分词形式） | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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3
rascally
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| adj. 无赖的，恶棍的 adv. 无赖地，卑鄙地 | |
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4
utterly
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| adv.完全地，绝对地 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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6
snared
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| v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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7
grunted
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| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
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shutters
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| 百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门 | |
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bristle
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| v.（毛发）直立，气势汹汹，发怒；n.硬毛发 | |
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conundrum
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| n.谜语；难题 | |
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chattered
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| （人）喋喋不休( chatter的过去式 )； 唠叨； （牙齿）打战； （机器）震颤 | |
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12
faltered
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| （嗓音）颤抖( falter的过去式和过去分词 )； 支吾其词； 蹒跚； 摇晃 | |
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13
automobile
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| n.汽车，机动车 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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15
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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proprietor
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| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
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complimentary
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| adj.赠送的，免费的，赞美的，恭维的 | |
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18
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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curtly
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| adv.简短地 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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