at," was the reply. "Return my papers."

Instead of returning them, Ned took the packet from his pocket and made a
quick examination so far as the light would permit, of the half dozen
letters it held.

The captive writhed about and cursed fluently until Jimmie touched his
forehead with the muzzle of his gun and warned him against "starting
anything he couldn't finish," as the boy expressed it.

"Now," Ned said to Jimmie, restoring the letters to his pocket, "you march
this pirate off toward the cottage while I scare the others out of the
bomb-room and blow it up."

"Blow it up before they get out," urged the boy.

"I am no executioner," Ned replied. "They doubtless deserve to be put to
death, but I'm not the one to do it."

"Wait," said the captive, as Jimmie motioned him away. "If you will give
me a chance to tell my side of the story those letters reveal, I may be
able to establish my innocence. I can make it worth your while to listen
to me," he added, significantly.

"Cripes, I smell money," laughed Jimmie.

"Go on with the boy," Ned replied. "If you want to talk with me you may do
so later."

"What are you going to do with me?"

"Turn you over to the Zone government."

The captive would have argued until his friends came out and sized up the
situation, and Ned knew it, so he motioned Jimmie to march the fellow away
and set about the work he had in hand. He took out the bomb he had brought
with him and estimated the length of time the fuse would burn. It was, as
has been said, a very long fuse, and the boy was satisfied that he could
escape from the danger zone after firing it.

Then, seeing that Jimmie was out of view with his prisoner, he brought out
his gun and fired two shots into the air. The result showed that he had
planned with judgment, for the men working below came bounding out of the
doorway behind the vines and vanished in the jungle, going in a direction
opposite to that taken by Jimmie.

The rapidity with which the workers in the bomb-room disappeared
astonished Ned until he reflected that he might unconsciously have given a
signal agreed upon between the men and the guard. At any rate, he finally
concluded, the men were not there to fight in defense of the place if
spied upon, but to seek cover at once, as is the habit of those caught in
the commission of crime.

He had expected to drive them away by firing from the jungle, but had not
anticipated a victory as easily won as this. Wh