s he gently laid
the dead man back against the rock.

"Robbery?" suggested Berwick.

"They are none too good," replied Jim, "as I can testify from personal
experience. But I reckon that there is more back of this than that.

"Now I may be mistaken, but in my opinion this man was a United States
detective and he was hot on the trail of this gang of pirates and
smugglers. I used to know a number of these fellows in New York and
there is something about them that marks them to my mind."

"I bet you have hit it right," said Jim, "but why did they not hide the
body?"

"Possibly they are so safe in this section that they don't take the
trouble to cover up their crime," remarked the engineer tentatively.

"Or they may be intending to come back to-night and dispose of the
body," said Jim.

"That's more apt to be it," agreed the engineer.

"It might be a good scheme to lie in wait for a while, and see if any of
these hounds come back on their trail," suggested Jim.

The engineer of the _Sea Eagle_ who was at present out of his element,
drew a deep sigh and likewise drew up his belt a couple of holes, which
was his alternative for a meal, that he seemed fated to go without. The
unsympathetic Jim grinned at his comrade in arms.

"I tell you, Chief," he said, "we will catch one of these grand rascals
and cook him a la cannibal."

"I would be most happy to," replied the engineer suavely and savagely.

"We will move down the ravine a ways," ordered Jim.

"My idea was that they would come down from the top of the cliff," said
the engineer with cool criticism.

"That was my idea, too," said Jim cheerfully; "then we might follow them
without too much chance of being caught ourselves."

"You are certainly long on strategy, James," remarked the engineer.

"Hello, Berwick," exclaimed Jim; "there is a light ahead."

Sure enough on the beach at the mouth of the ravine shone the yellow
light from a small square window. They crept up carefully to the place.
It was rather a curious affair. It was simply two old street cars joined
together by a wooden vestibule; one was used as a sleeping room the
other was a tiny beach eating place. Jim looked in cautiously through
the window and his eyes widened and his hand went involuntarily to where
his revolver usually hung. He remained there a full half minute taking
in the scene within while the engineer stood a little ways back in
apparent indifference, but he was carefully taking in