e.

Jack's surmise was apparently correct. Along the wall of the radio
station were ranged a dozen men. They had been stealing up to pour a
hot fire through the door. But Lieutenant Summers with his landing
party, drawn to the clearing by the sounds of combat, had made a
hurried march up from the beach, and opened fire. His men were
advancing across the clearing, scattered out fanwise, crouching and
shooting as they came.

Taken by surprise, the smugglers were returning only a ragged fire.

Seeing how matters stood, Captain Folsom directed the table be pulled
away and then, commanding the boys to keep in the background, he and
Tom Barnum stepped out to the stoop and poured the contents of their
revolvers, fast as they could pump them, into the smugglers.

The surprise of the latter was complete. Caught between two fires,
they did not know which way to turn. They wavered a moment, then
dashed away along the wall of the radio plant in an opposite
direction from the door.

As they disappeared among the trees, pursued by a detachment of
Lieutenant Summer's men, the latter with a half dozen followers dashed
up to the radio plant and, in the lighted doorway, recognized the
figure of his colleague, Captain Folsom.

Greetings were exchanged, and then Captain Folsom called the boys
forward and introduced them.

"Plucky lads, if ever I met any," he said, warmly, "and resourceful,
too. Their ingenuity has pulled us through time and again to-night."

"Not to mention," said Bob, gruffly, "that it was my darned
foolishness that got us into this scrape to begin with."

"Nonsense, my boy," said Captain Folsom. "You did only what any of us
would have done in jumping that rascal, Higginbotham. Well, now, let
us head for the house. Probably that is where these rascals will take
refuge. They must be wondering who you are, Lieutenant, and how you
happened to appear on the scene."

CHAPTER XVIII

HIGGINBOTHAM ESCAPES

A hasty marshalling of forces was first made. Besides the three boys,
Captain Folsom and Tom Barnum, Lieutenant Summers had twelve men under
his command. Thus they numbered eighteen in all. It was decided to
split this force into two equal parties, one commanded by Lieutenant
Summers, the other by Captain Folsom.

Tom Barnum went with Lieutenant Summer's party as guide, the boys with
Captain Folsom. They were to move against the front and rear entrances
of the house, summon those within to surrender and