then the latter pulled our hero by the sleeve.

"Somebody's coming!" he whispered. "Maybe it's Porton."

Dave did not answer. At the end of the semi-dark hallway there was a
closet which in years gone by had been used for the storage of guns
and clothing. Into this closet the two youths went, closing the door
carefully after them.

"It's Porton all right enough," whispered Dave, who a moment later was
crouching low and looking through a large keyhole devoid of a key.
"There he goes into the room where the two men are."

"Then those two men must be in with him," returned the senator's son.
"Say, Dave, this is certainly getting interesting!"

"It's going to make our job a pretty hard one," answered our hero. "If
Ward Porton was alone we might be able to capture him. But I don't
see how we are going to do it with Jarvey and that man named Brown
present."

"Maybe if we offer Jarvey and Brown a large reward they will help us
make Porton a prisoner," suggested Roger. "More than likely Jarvey is
on his uppers and will do anything to get a little cash."

The two youths came out into the semi-dark hallway once more, and on
tiptoes crept toward the door of the room occupied by Ward Porton and
the two men.

"I went all around the buildings, and looked up and down the roadway,
but I couldn't see anything of them," the former moving-picture actor
was saying. "I guess they got cold feet when they saw those soldiers.
Say, those greasers certainly were a fierce-looking bunch!"

"I don't believe they were any of General Bilassa's army," returned
William Jarvey. "They were probably some detachment out for whatever
they could lay their hands on," and he chuckled coarsely. Evidently he
considered that such guerrilla warfare under certain circumstances was
perfectly justifiable.

Following this there was some talk which neither of those outside the
door could catch. Then came a rather loud exclamation from Ward Porton
which startled our friends more than anything else that could have
been said.

"Well, now, look here, Dad!" cried the former moving-picture actor.
"You let me run this affair. I started it, and I know I can put it
through successfully."

"That's right, Jarvey!" broke in Packard Brown. "Let your son go ahead
and work this deal out to suit himself. He seems to have made a
success of it so far--getting the best of that fellow Crapsey," and
the speaker chuckled.

Dave and Roger looked at each other knowingly. Here