f the deck of
passenger steamers, as he remarked:

"Well, perhaps I did. Yes, I think it would have gone off in another
second or two. Rather curious; isn't it?"

"Curious? Curious!" asked and exclaimed Mr. Titus.

"Why, yes," went on the little man, in the most matter of fact tone.
"You see, most explosive bombs are round, made that way so the force
will be equal in all directions. But this one, you notice, has a bulge,
or protuberance, on one side, so to speak. Very curious!

"It might have been made that way to prevent its rolling overboard, or
the bomb's walls might be weaker near that bulge to make sure that the
force of the explosion would be in that direction. And the bulge was
pointed toward you gentlemen, if you noticed."

"I should say I did!" cried Mr. Titus. "My dear sir, you have put us
under a heavy debt to you! You saved our lives! I--I am in no frame of
mind to thank you now, but--"

He strode over to the little man, holding out his hand.

"No, no, I'd better keep it," went on the person who had rendered the
bomb ineffective. "You might drop it you know. You are nervous--your
hand shakes."

"I want to shake hands with you!" exclaimed Mr. Titus--"to thank you!"

"Oh, that's it. I thought you wanted the bomb. Shake hands? Certainly!"

And while this ceremony was being gone through with, Tom had a moment
to study the appearance of the man who had saved their lives. He had
seen the passenger once or twice before, but had taken no special
notice of him. Now he had good reason to observe him.

Tom beheld a little, thin man, little in the sense of being of the
"bean pole" construction. His head was as bald as a billiard ball, as
the young inventor could notice when the stranger took off his hat to
bow formally in response to the greeting of some ladies who passed,
while Mr. Titus was shaking hands with him.

The bald head was sunk down between two high shoulders, and when the
owner wished to observe anything closely, as he was now observing the
bomb, the head was thrust forward somewhat as an eagle might do. And
Tom noticed that the eyes of the little man were as bright as those of
an eagle. Nothing seemed to escape them.

"I want to add my thanks to those of Mr. Titus for saving our lives,"
said Tom, as he advanced. "We don't know what to make of it all, but
you certainly stopped that bomb from going off."

"Yes, perhaps I did," admitted the little man coolly and calmly, as
though preventin