from Jack, who ducked low to avoid a blow from the newsboy, and
wandered off down the stairs leading to the porch.

"Yes," the Captain said, "it may be a conspiracy for the acquisition of
wealth. I am not an anarchist, but it is my belief that there are many
corporations in the world who would set the nations at each other's
throats if a profit could be made out of it. But, after all, there is no
need of guessing. You boys are here to find out what is going on, and
you may now do it in your own way."

Ned left the Captain talking with Frank and Jimmie on the porch and went
into the one room of the hut. Everything was in disorder there, as has
been said, and Ned moved about cautiously in order that nothing might be
disturbed. The Major and Captain Godwin, on their visit of the morning,
had been careful to leave the place just as it had been on the discovery
of the strange happening.

There was a rough table in the center of the room, and three bamboo
chairs were overturned beside it. It was in front of one of the chairs
that the spots of blood had been found. The light matting which had
covered the floor here was torn and twisted, as if a heavy person had
clung to it and had been dragged away by superior strength.

Under the edge of this piece of matting Ned found long scratches, as if
shoe heels had slipped there and protruding nails had furrowed the
floor. There were also various oblong papers and numerous match ends. On
the floor, under the rolling back of another chair, were the scattered
remnants of a pack of playing cards. Mixed with these, and lying between
the ace of clubs and the jack of diamonds, were half a dozen pieces of
gilt paper, seemingly torn from an official seal.

In a corner of one of the alcoves, where it had been thrown or wafted by
the fan which swung from the ceiling at the middle of the room, was a
twisted piece of letter paper burned at one end. It seemed to the boy
that the paper had been twisted in the form of a torch and lighted to
give a more satisfactory illumination than that provided by the matches
which had been burned. It was about half consumed.

After spending half an hour in the room Ned went back to the porch and
sat down.

"What about it?" asked Frank.

"The mud is settling," laughed Ned.

"But not so the bottom can be seen?" asked Captain Godwin with a smile.

"Not yet," was the reply. "Perhaps a little talk with the servant who
was sent here with Lieutenant Rowe last