h satisfaction from you, partner,"
he bluntly told the other. "Our folks expect to see some evidence to
prove the big yarn we're bound to tell--about our dropping those tear
bombs and scattering the fighting hijackers and rum-runners and all that
stuff which means that by hook or by crook we've just _got_ to get
clear with this sloop and all the contraband that's aboard--hand it over
to some of Uncle Sam's agents along the gulf coast, whose addresses I
was given before leaving Washington, to be used in just such
circumstances as these. So try again, and see if you can suggest some
way it can be put through."

Thereupon Perk started scratching his tousled head in a fashion he
always followed when given a problem to solve, since his wits were apt
to be a bit rusty and in need of oiling so as to cause them to function
properly.

"Wouldn't that jar you?" he finally exploded, "we jest can't load our
crate with the bally stuff, 'cause it couldn't lift a tenth o' the cargo
we grabbed so easy-like. An' as to towin' the sloop after us by a
hawser, it'd be too much like a caterpiller creepin' along. I own up
it's got me buffaloed. Jack, an' if anything's goin' to be done it's
bound to come out o' your own coco."

"No hurry at all, brother," the other told him, little chance of those
lads making back this way in a hurry, since they got the scare of their
lives tonight. "Let's look around some more and possibly a suggestion
will pop up to give us the glad hand and see us out of the mire."

"Suits me okay old hoss," agreed Perk, nodding his head confidently as
though he had known all along that such a clever partner as Jack would
have a spare card up his sleeve to play when things began to look
unusually gloomy.

Perk picked up one of the lanterns, for he knew they would need some
sort of illumination if they intended to explore the regions below deck
which he termed the "hold," not being much of a sea-going man, although
capable of filling quite a number of different callings from engineer to
air pilot.

He had not taken half a dozen steps after descending the short flight of
steps leading below when he came to a sudden halt.

"Glory be! what was that?--sounded real like a groan, Jack!" he
exclaimed, trying to peer into the gloom of the hold, where there seemed
to be row after row of the same type of wooden cases with foreign
inscriptions burned on them.

"Just what it was, Perk," agreed his chum, pressing close behind th