Tom and Ned had been away from Shopton for three days, following the most promising clue they had yet received.  But it had failed at the end, and one afternoon they found themselves in a small town, about a hundred miles from Shopton.  They had been motoring.

“I think I’ll call up the house,” said Tom.  “Dad may have received some news, or Mrs. Damon may have sent him some word.  I’ll get my father on the wire.”

Connection to Tom’s house was soon made, and Ned, who was listening to his chum’s remarks, was startled to hear him cry out: 

“What’s that you say?  My airship taken again?  When did it happen?  Yes, I’m listening.  Go on, Father!”

Then followed a silence while Tom listened, breaking in now and then with an excited remark, Suddenly he called: 

“Good-by, Dad!  I’m coming right home!”

Tom hung up the receiver with a bang, and turned to his chum.

“What do you think!” he cried.  “The Eagle was taken again last night!  The same way as before.  Nobody got a glimpse of the thieves, though.  Dad has been trying to get in communication with me ever since.  I’m glad I called up.  Now we’ll get right back to Shopton, and see what we can do.  This is the limit!  Peters and his crowd will be kidnapping us, next.”

“That’s right,” agreed Ned.

He and Tom were soon off again, speeding in the auto toward Shopton.  But the roads were bad, after a heavy rain, and they did not make fast time.

The coming of dusk found them with more than thirty miles to go.  They were in an almost deserted section of the country when suddenly, as they were running slowly up a hill, there was a sudden crack, the auto gave a lurch to one side of the roadway and then settled heavily.  Tom clapped on both brakes quickly, and gave a cry of dismay.

“Broken front axle!” he said.  “We’re dished, Ned!”

They got out, being no more harmed than by the jolting.  The car was out of commission.  The two chums looked around Except for a lonely house, that bore every mark of being deserted, not a dwelling was in sight where they might ask for aid or shelter.

And, as they looked, from that lonely house came a strange cry—­a cry as though for help!

CHAPTER XXV

THE AIRSHIP CAPTURE

“Did you hear that?” cried Ned.

“I certainly did,” answered Tom.  “What was it.”

“Sounded to me like a cry of some sort.”

“It was.  An animal, I’d say.”

The two chums moved away from the broken auto, and looked at each other.  Then, by a common impulse, they started toward the lonely house, which was set back some distance from the road.

“Let’s see who it was,” suggested Tom, “After all, though it looks deserted, there may be someone in the house, and we’ve got to have some kind of help.  I don’t want to leave my car on the road all night, though it will have to be repaired before I can use it again.”