"Hands off of him, officer," said he. "This isn't the chap you want. He's Motor Matt--everybody up and down the river front has heard of Motor Matt and his chums, and of the air ship."
"I'm dashed if I can savvy this," murmured the perplexed officer, "but I'm going to the Stuyvesant Dock with you and see if the watchman will set me right. He's a friend o' mine, the watchman is, and he'll give it to me straight."
When Matt, Carl, Dick, and the officer started for the Stuyvesant Dock, they left the crowd behind.
"I went over town, just at the beginning of the forenoon," said Matt, "and when I got back to the air ship the watchman said that a man had come there and asked for me. As I wasn't around, the watchman told me you and Carl had answered the summons, Dick. Where did you go?"
"The man who came was Cassidy, Townsend's mate on the _Grampus_," answered Dick. "He said Townsend was out on Prytania Street, and he gave me the number of the house. Cassidy said the business was important, so Carl and I got on a street car and went to the place. Townsend is sick a-bed----"
"Aye, and can't move. The trouble he had with Jurgens and Whistler was the cause of it, Townsend thinks. But we couldn't do the business for you--it's you, and no one else, that Townsend wants. He gave us a letter for you and wants you to call on him at midnight, to-night."
"He wouldn't tell us, but said he had explained that in the letter."
There was a silence while the little group tramped over the planks in the direction of Stuyvesant Dock.
"Oh, dowse me," muttered Dick. "I feel like thirty cents!"
"What happened to the letter?" queried Matt.
"You see, matey," explained Dick, very much crestfallen, "when Carl and I saw that other fellow on the levee, we were sure he was you."
"Aye, aye, that's true enough, but we thought you were keeping tab on somebody and had put on those clothes in order to do it."
"You fellows must be locoed!" he exclaimed. "What reason have I to go into the detective business?"
"Ve ditn't know dot," observed Carl, "but ve vas sure dot odder feller vas you. Anyvay, Tick vistled ad him, laidt der ledder on der cotton bale, und ven der feller came for it, den, py shinks, his sigaroot sed der pale afire. Aber he got der ledder, und some feller run avay mit him in a puggy. Der boliceman hat tried to arresdt der feller, aber he slipped glear. Ach, himmelblitzen, vat a pad pitzness!"