poor fellow," Ned said. "Do you think we can get him
on to Peking?"

Captain Martin shook his head.

"It is a bad wound," he said. "The man was on guard not far from the
edge of the grove when a figure loomed up before him. He challenged and
was about to shoot, for no reply came, when he got the knife in his
back. He can't be moved."

"The trouble is," Ned replied, "that we got here too soon."

"What's the answer to that?"

"We did not give the plotters time enough to finish their business.
When that old Chink, back there at the gate, signaled to them with his
rockets, they cut and ran, leaving important evidence behind them."

"And you think they will hang about the flying squadron until they
recover what they have lost?"

"They certainly will try to recover it. Now you see the wisdom of the
Washington people in sending me to Peking on a motorcycle! You see that
I was right in saying that we were being set up as marks for other
nations to shoot at!"

"Yes," said Martin, "you never could have got to the fellows in the old
way. It was right to plan it so that they would come to you, although
it was placing you in great danger."

"But the danger has rippled off our backs like water off the feathers of
a duck! If we meet no more peril than we have now encountered, we'll
get back to New York fat and healthy."

"One thing I fail to comprehend," Captain Martin said, "and that is why
a flying squadron was sent with you."

"To attract attention," laughed Ned.

"To get you out of scrapes, I should say," the Captain retorted.

"Well, then, both!"

"I don't get it yet."

"We might have reached Peking without our presence in the country being
known to our enemies," Ned said, "but that was not the idea of the
Washington people. I have already explained to the boys that we were to
do our real work in identifying the man we want while on the way."

"Oh, all right," replied the officer, "but it seems to me that you might
have made the trip in a quieter way with the same result. These chaps
would have found you, depend on that."

"Yes, but we needed help," replied Ned, "and we got it in the nick of
time. Guess the Secret Service people at Washington are all right."

"Perhaps," the Captain said, then, "we would better get the wounded men
into the house and look after their wounds. The others I'll leave on
guard."

The injured marines were carried into the house and given such attention
as could be bes