accusation against me.” 

 “But why do you have to go to jail, or to a federal prison, at all?” asked Ned. “Can’t you be bailed?” 

 “Too late for that after conviction. What I need now is money to continue the fight.” 

 “Use your own money—or ours!” cried Frank, eagerly. Both lads loved their uncle almost as a father. 

 “The trouble is that your money and mine will be attached—held in escrow, I believe they call it—to settle for these damages in case I can not prove my innocence of having financed a revolution,” Mr. Arden declared. “So with our money tied up that way, none will be available, and I’ll have to be—well, let us call it detained—for years,” and once more he smiled grimly. 

 Ned and Frank did not know what to think. They asked their uncle many questions, and he answered them as best he could; but they did not understand all the details. 

 “As near as I can figure out,” said Frank, 24 when he and his brother went up to their rooms just before supper, “Uncle Phil is accused of starting a revolution, which he didn’t. And in the revolution some damage was done that must be paid for, and they’re looking to him to put up the money. If he doesn’t they’ll lock him up, and put his money in their own strong boxes, where he can’t use it to fight the case further.” 

24

 “That’s about the way it sizes up,” agreed Ned. 

 “Well, what’s the next move?” asked his brother. 

 “Hanged if I know,” said Ned. “I can’t think of anything. And I haven’t got any too much cash on hand,” he added, as he went over to a box on his bureau, where he kept his money. 

 “It sure is a queer situation,” conceded Frank. “If we were only on a battleship now, we could go down to that little measly one-horse South American republic, unlimber our big guns and tell ’em to fork over our money, and dig up evidence to clear Uncle Phil, or we’d shoot!” 

 “Yes,” sighed Ned, “we might do that. But the chances of our getting on a battleship are about a thousand to one.” 

 If he had only known what was coming! 

 After supper the boys had another talk with their uncle, and he showed them some of the legal papers that had been 

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