?" he added.

"Ned's got all the gold he can attend to right here," commented Frank.
"He's got to find out how that came here."

"Why, there was an American in the bunch, and he lost it out of his
pocket," Jack ventured.

"That's the very point," Frank observed. "What was an American doing in
that bunch?"

"It might have been the American who planned to send the gold to the
revolutionary leaders by way of a shipment to the Chinese government,"
Ned said, thoughtfully. "You know some American had to send the gold."

"Of course."

"Well, suppose he is now here trying to get something in exchange for
the gold which lies at the bottom of the Pacific?"

"He naturally would be doing business, with the revolutionary party,"
Frank exclaimed. "What a trick that was!"

"I haven't got it through my head yet," Jack said. "I don't know any
more about the plot than a robin."

"Look here," Frank said, in a superior tone, "there are a lot of Chinese
in the United States who want to assist the revolutionary party. Got
that?"

"You know it!"

"These men arrange with the Chinese government to send over a cargo of
gold."

"That's easy. What were they to get for the gold?"

"I don't know," Frank answered. "But they arranged to send the gold
right out of the subtreasury at San Francisco--or was it New York?--to
the Chinese government."

"All right," laughed Jack. "I see daylight."

"Then they notify the rebels-to-be that the gold will be shipped on such
a vessel at such a time."

"Warmer!" grinned Jimmie.

"And the rebels undertake to have a ship ready to snatch off the gold
when the right time comes. So the Chinese government will have to pay
for the yellow stuff and the rebels will have the good of it."

"Great scheme!"

"Yes, well, some other nation gets wise to what is going on, and sets
out to burst up the combination."

"Naturally."

"So this foreign nation sends out a ship to ram the vessel carrying the
gold."

"Oh! I got that long ago!"

"And the vessel is rammed and the gold goes to the bottom. Then this
other government, thinking to kill two birds at one shot, gives it out,
in certain diplomatic circles, that Uncle Sam shipped that gold directly
to the Chinese government from the subtreasury, with the full knowledge
that the rebels were to get it."

"Yes, I've heard about that."

"So Uncle Sam sends Ned over here to dig up that gold and see if the
shippers didn't put documents in the b