in Riley looked at him queerly and proceeded to count the
astounding wealth of John Ivan Jewel. Then he very matter-of-factly
wrote a receipt, which Johnny accepted with humility, not at all sure
of what the captain thought or intended.

"Now, tell me this. Is this young man---the one you brought in--is he
the only one you know who has been concerned in this--er--business?

"Yes, sir, on this side he is. Cliff spoke about his boss several
times, but he never told me who his boss was. An International News
Syndicate, he claimed. But I know now that was just a stall. I don't
think there was any such thing. There's a Mexican, Mateo, down where
we kept the plane--"

"Mateo--yes, we have Mateo." Captain Riley sat drumming his fingers
gently on the table, studying Johnny with his chin dropped a little so
that he looked up under his eyebrows, which grew long, unruly hairs
here and there.

Johnny's eyes rounded with surprise. He wanted to ask how they had
come to suspect Mateo when they had seemed so unsuspicious, but he let
it go.

"There's another one, named Schwab, over in Mexico where we always
went," he divulged. "He's the one Cliff got those papers
from--whatever they were. And he's the one that expects to get some
money in the morning. I heard that much. I--I could get him, too," he
added tentatively.

"Out of Mexico?" Captain Riley stirred slightly in the chair.

"Yes, sir. I'm pretty sure I could. I was planning to nab him, if
you'd let me."

"You mean you could bring him--as you brought this man Lowell?"

Johnny's lips tightened. "If I had to--yes, sir. I'd knock him on the
head same as I did Cliff. Only I wouldn't hit quite so hard next time."

Captain Riley bit his lip. "Better hit hard if you hit at all," he
advised. "That's a very good rule to remember. It applies to a great
many things."

Then he straightened his shoulders a bit and called his orderly, who
again impressed Johnny with his military preciseness when he stood at
attention and saluted. Captain Riley's whole manner seemed to stiffen
to that military preciseness, though Johnny had thought him stiff
enough before.

"Detain this man," he commanded crisply, "until further orders. If he
is hungry, feed him; and see that he has a decent place to sleep. The
petty officers' quarters will do."

He watched the perturbed John Ivan Jewel depart under guard, and his
eyes were not half so stern as his tone had been. Then he