"Do you mean to say——?" began Jack in astonishment.

"Just that!" nodded Ned. "The Chief has asked me to take this case in hand and make an attempt to forestall a dangerous man in his suspected attempt to sell out the United States!

"This fellow is a 'bad man' who has been engaged in various enterprises of a very suspicious nature whereby he always made money. He has a reputation for being a 'gunrunner' and an opium smuggler, as well as several other things that are decidedly not nice.

"His latest act is the alleged theft of some plans of the defences of the Panama Canal, and it is thought that he is going to try to get across the Atlantic and endeavor to sell these plans to one of the nations now concerned in the European war! What makes it worse is that he is a naturalized citizen of the United States, is a trained military man as well as a navigator, and knows that he is wanted to the extent of a very handsome reward. He's a desperate man."

"Then all we've got to do is run out and pick[Pg 26] him up, return him to the United States Marshal, take a receipt and collect?"

[Pg 26]

"That's all!"

"Fine!" put in Harry. "Do we visit the burning mountains of Mexico again or go to the North Pole or into Death Valley?"

"Worse than any of those!" soberly declared Ned. "It looks as if we'd have to go across the Atlantic and get mixed up in the scrap over in Europe if we get our man! He is reported to have left Colon some days ago and, if indications are correct, is now on the Atlantic ocean bound for the other side where he hopes to sell the plans."

"And the Chief hands us a package like that? Kind of him, I must say!" Harry rather indignantly answered. "No older men handy?"

"He asked me to take the case," returned Ned. "If you boys want to help me, all right. It's a dangerous mission, and you are not required to go. There's no disgrace if we fail, and there may be no little credit if we succeed. But he's a dangerous character!"

"Let's get out the big car and take a ride around the park to settle our brains," suggested Jack. "I'm all in a whirl!"

[Pg 27]

[Pg 27]

Gleefully accepting the proposition, the entire party made for the garage. Jimmie alone pleaded that he was 

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