up, and my boat hit some obstruction
which threw the steering gear out of order.

"Next something went wrong with my engine, so I shut it down, hid the
papers, and drifted at the mercy of the wind and waves, for no boat
answered my signals of distress. The storm grew worse, and all the
next day I was driven about. Then came a calm, but I could not make
land, nor were my signals of distress answered. I drifted farther and
farther, and as I had no food or water I soon became partly delirious,
I suppose.

"Then came another storm, and I saw some jagged rocks, there was no way
of avoiding them. I thought of leaping overboard for I am a good
swimmer, but my foot caught in an electric wire. I pulled it from
place as I fell, injuring my arm, and this made a short circuit. There
was some gasolene, from a leaky tank, on the floor of the cockpit, and
this caught fire from the electric spark.

"The storm grew worse. I did not know what to do. Then came an
explosion and I found myself in the water. I remember some one calling
to me, and taking me on board a sailing vessel, and then it all became
a blank. My mind left me."

"That was when we rescued you," spoke Frank, as Paul Bartlett finished.
"But what did you do with the important papers?"

"Wait. Let me think," pleaded the lad. "I put them--"

They all leaned eagerly forward to hear answer. The mysterious man
struggled vainly at his bonds.

"I put them in one of the cylinders of the engine," cried the lad.
"One of the cylinders was out of commission. I shut off the water
supply, took off the head and stuffed the papers between the outer wall
and the inner one. They ought to be there now."

"No wonder we couldn't find them," exclaimed Frank.

"And where is your father now?" asked Mr. Racer.

"Still in the sanitarium I hope," answered Paul. "That is the reason
none of our advertisements about me were answered. My father did not
see them, and I have no other relatives. His business was closed up,
and his friends did not know where he or I had gone. But it's all
right now. Oh, how I want to see my father!"

"We'll send him word at once, if you have his address," said Mr. Racer.

"And what shall we do with this man?" inquired Mr. Lacey.

"Jail is the place for him," declared Mr. Racer. "He is a desperate
criminal to have followed Paul about as he did. Now, boys, get aboard,
and we'll take Mr. James Shallock in with us also. Cast off the raft,
a