oe,
he opened the treaty box in order to place therein the original
instructions given to the messenger. If you will look at the paper you
will observe a slight smear of blood.

"When he opened the box he took from it a very rough draft of the treaty
and threw it away, after burning it about half up. I found what was left
of it, bearing his mark, the bloody smear, and so learned what was in
the box--beyond all reasonable doubt. He lost his key there, and I found
it. The other key was in the possession of Keene, as you know."

"But why did you go to Yokohama?" asked Keene.

"I followed Brown there. At least I followed you and him to Manila.
There you both disappeared, and I was told that Brown had gone to
Yokohama. Do you remember of having trouble with him in a saloon at
Manila, and threatening him? Well, I found that out, and I found out
that you had been having trouble with him ever since returning to the
city.

"It was easy to get his description, and so I followed him to Yokohama,
believing that I could get his confession. He fled to Japan because of
his fear of you, I take it?"

"He went to Japan because I promised to meet him there and give him a
large sum of money," was the sullen reply. "I went there to kill him!"

"And then you got the _Clara_, and circulated about the islands in her
launch, and conferred with the native chiefs. I frightened you away from
a couple of the conferences, as you know. You were betraying your
country, and trying to place the crime on the hands of Lieutenant
Carstens!"

"I should have succeeded, and got away with a fortune only for you!"
growled the fellow. "Well," he added, "it is all in the game. I lost out
and you won out. Good luck to you!"

They were too late to stop the sudden lifting of the hand to the mouth,
and when they lifted him from the floor of the cabin he was dead. The
senator's son stood over the body for a moment and turned to Captain
Curtis.

"You know all about it now," he said. "If I am under arrest, take me to
Manila. I can get bail there."

The guns were reloaded on the _Clara_, the ammunition on the _Martha_,
and the ships sailed at once for Manila, with half a dozen native chiefs
who had come to receive the arms locked up in the cabin formerly
occupied by Lieutenant Carstens. The removal of the arms and the capture
of the leaders brought the conspiracy to a close and the matter was
hushed up. Tag and his companions were arrested and punished.

T