t after she and Echochee had been rowed across
to their own home and the two sailors posted to guard against a possible
return of the outlaws, Monsieur and Gates accompanied us to the place of
awful murder where we explained what we had found.

Monsieur passed into the smaller room, but came out shaking his head and
murmuring:

"The face is much changed, yet I recognize enough to feel reasonably
sure it is he."

More positive proofs came when, with breathless interest, we went
through the contents of the desk, taking things out in order and putting
them aside after minute examination. The first of these was a seal, and
the professor, bending over it, uttered a cry of surprise:

"The royal seal of Azuria! What deviltry could he have been
contemplating when he stole this!"

Then came a blank sheet of note paper, stamped with a gold peak,
surmounted by a gold crown and three lavender ostrich plumes--the
Azurian royal crest. These two things alone were strong pieces of
evidence for the professor's sanguine expectation. There was nothing
further of importance, so we turned to the safe which seemed impassively
challenging us to get at its secrets, for the door stood fastened and
the combination was unknown.

Monsieur kneeled, placed his ear against it, and began slowly to turn
the knob, listening intently for the little metal hammers, or tumblers,
of the lock to fall clicking into place.

"I never supposed he knew enough for that," Tommy whispered. "It's a
regular crook's way!"

At last, very much disgusted, he gave up after explaining that he could
have succeeded in an hour or so, but preferred to use dynamite because
it was quicker.

"Undoubtedly it's quicker," Tommy said, "but unless you've cracked safes
that way before, we may as well say good-bye to the bungalow!"

Gates thought that the door, being of ancient pattern, might yield to a
sledge, and Smilax went in search of one. Finding none of sufficient
size, he returned with an anvil, swinging it by its spike. I remember
the muscles of his arm that held it, the poise of his body as he raised
it above his head and gathered every ounce of power to hurl it upon the
combination knob. It made a superb picture of primordial man pitted
against the sciences. After each resounding blow we tried to throw the
lever, and at last the battered door swung out.

Here was a find worth coming far to see--packages upon packages of
greenbacks, all counterfeit, but they made a