ng."

"Not at all, Bob," said Jack, unexpectedly. "If we can only hold these
fellows off a few minutes more, they'll get the surprise of their
lives. I raised Lieutenant Summers by radio. He was close offshore by
the greatest of good luck. He's sending a landing party in boats, and
I was to meet them at the beach and act as guide."

CHAPTER XVII

RESCUE ARRIVES

Tom Barnum had disappeared. Now he ran up from the rear of the radio
station.

"Quick, Mister Frank, with that revolver," he said. "They've split up
an' the fellows in the woods are trying to work their way around to
take us in the rear. I been watchin' from the back side."

Frank nodded and started to follow. Then he spun around, ran again to
his former vantage point, and sent a couple of bullets towards the
figures in the sand.

"That'll hold 'em there for a minute," he said.

As he ran after Tom Barnum to the other corner of the station on the
side which sheltered them, he refilled the emptied chambers of the
precious weapon.

"There," said Tom Barnum, crouching low, and pointing.

Frank tried to follow directions but saw nothing. He pressed the
revolver into Tom's hand.

"Don't waste time trying to show me," he said. "If you see anybody,
shoot."

Tom took the weapon, glanced along the barrel, and pressed the
trigger. A yell of pain was the response. Twenty yards away there was
a crash in the bushes, then silence.

"Back to the other corner," said Tom, chuckling, and dashed again to
the post from which Frank originally had fired.

Frank sat down, with his back against the wall of the station and
laughed hysterically.

"Golly, but this is a game of hide and seek, all right," he gasped.

Again the revolver spoke, a yell followed, and then came a rain of
bullets.

"Here they come," cried Tom, and in quick succession he pumped out
four more shots.

Howls and shrieks of anguish rose. Tom was shooting with deadly
intent. The attempted rush was halted, broken. The desperadoes
composing the attacking force could not stand before that deadly aim.
They broke and ran back toward the trees, leaving three figures
groveling in the sand.

"One for Mister Frank, and three for me, them two and one back
behind," said Tom Barnum grimly, to Bob and Jack, who were peering
over his shoulder. "That ain't so bad."

A cry from Captain Folsom, followed by Frank's voice calling urgently,
caused the three to spin around. They were just in time to see