forward, and looking past
the Frenchman; "is that one of your friends down the road?"

As the Frenchman turned to look, young Benson swiftly and adroitly took
his cane from him.

Like a flash, his eyes full of fire, Lemaire heeled about, then leaped
at the young submarine captain.

But Hal Hastings stepped between them so neatly that the Frenchman
collided with him instead.

"Hold this fellow a moment, please," requested Captain Jack. "I've found
something interesting."

Hal Hastings grabbed Lemaire's right arm. Jacob Farnum instantly
possessed himself of the other. David Pollard sprang forward so that
he could take a hand, if need be.

Captain Jack stood holding the spy's walking stick, ferule end upward.
It was a rather long, slender-looking ferrule of steel. But what
interested young Benson most was that he had found that the ferrule
was hollow.

Quickly the submarine boy examined the rest of the cane.

"Release me! Hand that stick back to me!" hissed the Frenchman. "Oh,
some one shall pay for this unpardonable outrage!"

But Hal and Mr. Farnum only gripped the spy the more tightly.

"I believe I've found out something," announced Jack, in a low voice.
"Wait a second or two."

He had come upon a concealed spring near the head of the cane. Stepping
to the edge of the porch, the submarine boy pointed the ferrule end at
the ground, then pressed upon the spring.

A sharp, though not loud report followed, and a bullet plowed into the
ground. There was a flash at the end of the ferrule, though but a
barely perceptible amount of smoke.

"So, M. Lemaire, you carry a pistol cane, that uses smokeless powder
and shoots steel-jacketed bullets?" inquired Jack, turning to the
prisoner, who, white-faced, stood gnashing hi's teeth in helpless rage.
"I wonder if the bullet Hastings dug out of the tree trunk will be found
to fit this weapon?"

"You miser-r-r-rable dog!" screamed Lemaire. "Thief! Liar!"

"Oh, keep cool about it, do," urged Jack, smilingly.

"What's this?" demanded Trotter, suddenly appearing on the scene.
Packwood was just behind him.

Jack swiftly told what had happened, and what he had just discovered,
at the same time passing the cane to the Secret Service man.

"Lemaire, I guess you'd better come with us, for safe-keeping," advised
Trotter, dryly.

"You ar-r-rest me?" snarled the Frenchman.

"Oh, yes; if you insist upon a name for it."

M. Lemaire's face looked uglier than Jack