That for mine!"

"I'm afraid you've been in bad company," laughed Frank. "You're talking
slang! What's your name?"

"Minda," was the reply.

"Sounds like a girl's name," grunted Pat. "What are the chiefs doing on
the island?"

"Conference," was the reply.

"They're forming a confederacy, are they?"

Minda shook his head and looked perplexed.

"Don't know," he replied.

"Where are the two Scouts who went ashore a long time ago?" asked Ned.

"Tied," replied Minda, crossing his wrists to indicate what he meant.

"That's nice!" Pat broke in. "Where are they?"

Again Minda shook his head, saying that he did not know where the boys
were, that they might have been put on board the steamer.

"So the officers on board the steamer communicated with the shore?"
asked Ned.

"Yes; that's how I got away," was the reply.

"Do the officers know what is going on?" continued Ned. Again Minda
shook his head.

"I reckon you're off there," Pat exclaimed. "They do know, and the man
in charge on board the steamer is a traitor! I know him!"

Again the Filipino looked puzzled.

"Good man!" he said, and sat down on the bridge deck.

"Do you really believe the boys were put on board the steamer?" asked
Frank of Ned, in a moment.

"I think the native chiefs would put us all on board the steamer, if
they could do so," was the reply.

Then the patrol leader turned to Minda again.

"What did the steamer come down here for?" he asked.

"Patrol," was the reply.

"On no special mission?" Ned went on.

"Just to patrol," was the reply.

"I don't believe it!" Frank burst out. "That boat was sent down here to
investigate this conspiracy matter, and the man in command is making a
perfunctory job of it. He'll then go back to Manila and report nothing
doing!"

"And the conspiracy will go on, and there'll be war!" Pat added.

"Just so!" Frank commented.

"Well," Ned said, "we can't find out whether you are right or not by
asking the officers, either on the steamer or at Manila. We've got to
find out by watching the brown men! We've got to leave the _Manhattan_
here and go into the jungle and see what is going on, and find out what
company the chiefs receive. It is my idea that some of the men in
uniform are leading double lives!"

CHAPTER XIV.

THE SENATOR'S SON SEEKS A KEY.

Jimmie and Jack were lying behind a great flowing vine which swung from
a balete tree, looking keenly out in the direction in which they