"It's the professor!" exclaimed Frank; "he's in serious trouble this
time."




CHAPTER XI.

A BATTLE IN THE AIR.


To raise an alarm throughout the ship was the work of a few minutes
and the watchman, whose carelessness had allowed the professor to slip
away unnoticed, aroused the indignation of Captain Hazzard, who blamed
him bitterly for his oversight. Several shots followed the one the
boys had heard and more cries, but they grew rapidly fainter and at
the same time the sound of horses galloping away in the distance was
heard.

"They have carried him off," cried Captain Hazzard.

"Can we not chase them and rescue him?" asked Billy, "we've got plenty
of men and arms."

"That would be of little use to us," was the reply, "the Patagonians
are mounted and by this time they have got such a start on us that we
could never hope to catch up to them on foot."

"Not on foot," put in Frank quietly, "but there is another way."