moment of his meeting Gostel that the two men, Itto and Gostel, were in
the plot for some purpose of their own, a purpose which was not the
accumulation of money, and which did not match the motives of the others.

About six o'clock Chester arose to his feet.

"I must go back to camp," he said.

"But there is a meeting to-night," Van Ellis urged.

"An important one," Gostel put in.

"And a midnight visit to the dam," Itto said.

"I have a previous engagement at the camp," Harvey insisted. "We have
guests from New York, my son and myself."

"The secret service lads," exclaimed Gostel, scornfully. "Leave them to me
to-night, and you can then keep your engagement with us."

"I have my doubts about their being connected with the secret service,"
Chester replied.

"We are positive," Gostel said. "They were followed from New York. We know
the plotting that has been going on between Gordon and Nestor."

Much more concerning the boys was said, but Ned was too anxious to get
away to pay full attention to it. Another burden was now on his mind. He
must see that the boys were warned and came to no harm.

He had left them with the understanding that they might remain at the
Culebra hotel or return with Tony Chester to the cottage where they had
been taken when brought out of the jungle. If they had returned to the
camp, they might already be in great danger.

Chester insisted on taking his departure, and the others accompanied him
to the foot of the stairs in the wall, arguing with him every foot of the
way. Ned stood at the door of the rear room when they returned, and while
they were getting settled in the front apartment he slipped out and moved
cautiously down the steps.

When he gained the grounds outside he dodged into a thicket not ten feet
away from the exit and waited to make sure that no one was moving about on
the outside. He was anxious to get away from the place without his
presence there being known. A struggle, even if he succeeded in getting
away, would put the plotters on their guard.

In a few moments he realized that the grounds were not so devoid of human
life as he had believed. He heard voices on the side toward the hill, and
a rustling in the thicket told him that some one was stealthily moving
there.

Knowing that it would be dark in a short tune, Ned remained crouched low
in the bushes, hoping to escape detection in that way, but footsteps came
closer and closer to his hiding place, and he