the balloonist.

"Yes--trifle dizzy, that's all--I've got the money!"

"Are you sure?"

Tom opened the valise. A glance was enough to show that it was stuffed
with bills.

Happy Harry showed signs of coming to, and Mr. Sharp, with a few turns
of a rope he had brought along, soon secured him. Morse was too
exhausted to fight more, for the seltzer entering his mouth and nose,
had deprived him of breath, and he fell an easy prisoner to Mr. Damon.

Morse was soon tied up. The other members of the Happy Harry gang had
escaped.

Meanwhile the sheriff and his men were having a fight with the crowd of
tramps, but as the posse was determined and the criminals mostly of the
class known as "hobos," the battle was not a very severe one. Several
of the sheriff's men were slightly injured, however, and a few of the
tramps escaped.

"A most successful raid," commented the sheriff, when quiet was
restored, and a number of prisoners were lined up, all tied securely.
"Did you get the money?"

"Almost all of it," answered Tom, who, now that Morse and Happy Harry
were securely tied, had busied himself, with the aid of Mr. Sharp and
Mr. Damon, in counting the bills. "Only about two thousand dollars are
missing. I think the bank will be glad enough to charge that to profit
and loss."

"I guess so," added the sheriff. "I'm certainly much obliged to you for
the use of your airship. Otherwise the raid wouldn't have been so
successful. Well, now we'll get the prisoners to jail."

It was necessary to hire rigs from nearby farmers to accomplish this.
As for Morse and Happy Harry, they were placed in the airship, and,
under guard of the sheriff and two deputies, were taken to the county
seat. The criminals were too dazed over the rough treatment they had
received, and over their sudden capture, to notice the fact of riding
through the air to jail.

"Now for home!" cried Tom, when the prisoners had been disposed of.
"Home to clear our names and take this money to the bank!"

"And receive the reward," added Mr. Sharp, with a smile. "Don't forget
that!"

"Oh, yes, and I'll see that you get a share too, Mr. Durkin," went on
Tom. "Only for your aid we never would have gotten these men and the
money."

"Oh, I guess we're about even on that score," responded the official.
"I'm glad to break up that gang."

The next morning Tom and his friends started for home in the Red Cloud.

They took with them evidence as to the guilt of the two