walked away?" he asked.

"No," replied Will, "I don't!"

"Then, who carried him away?" demanded Sandy.

Will turned the rays of the searchlight on the bunk where he had seen
George cuddle down and then walked over toward it.

"George didn't!" he answered, "because George is here sound asleep!"

"Sound asleep?" repeated Sandy. "Do you suppose he'd lie here and sleep
and let some one come and carry away Bert?"

Will took hold of the boy's leg and half drew him out of the bunk.

"Wake up, here!" he shouted.

George yawned and rubbed his eyes.

"First good sleep I've had in a week!" he said.

"Did you sleep all the afternoon?" asked Will.

"I guess I did!"

"Hear any one around the cabin?"

"How could I, when I was sound asleep?"

"Well," Will went on, "while you were having that fine sleep, some one
came to the cabin and carried off Bert Calkins!"

"What are you talking about?" demanded George.

"Look in his bunk and see!" advised Sandy.

"How was it ever done?" demanded George.

"I'm not asking how it was done," Will returned. "What I want to know
is: Why was it done? What object could any one have in carrying away
that kid? I wouldn't believe he was gone if I didn't see the empty
bunk."

"It's something connected with that code message!" Sandy suggested.

"I've got it!" replied Will. "The man took the message away before he
knew whether he could read it or not. When he found he couldn't read it,
he came back to get Bert to read it for him."

"But Bert is in no condition to be kept prisoner," George insisted. "He
won't give the information the man seeks, and the man will probably
mistreat him because he can't! What we've got to do is to get a move on
and find the boy before he is starved or beaten to death."

"That's just what we've got to do!" agreed Will. "We've got to drop
everything until we find that boy!"

CHAPTER VII

A LOST "BULLDOG"

"How much do you know about this case?" asked Tommy of Frank, as the two
stumbled over the uneven moraine.

"How much do I know about what?" asked Frank.

"Why, this case that your father talked with you about when he used the
wireless; the case referred to in the code message."

"Why, I know that you boys are out here in search of the print of a
man's right thumb!" laughed Frank.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, I know a little more than that. I know that two men are soon to be
tried for burglary, and that the discovery of the thumb marks is qui