im,
apparently while he was dozing over the tracings. Both the tracings and
the sketch are gone!"

CHAPTER V

Dynamite Missing

"There's only one reason I can think of why anyone would want to steal
the tracings," Rick said. He held on for a moment as Zircon steered the
jeep over a bump in the trail. "If word has leaked out about why we're
really here, maybe someone in the tourist business would steal the
evidence to keep business from being ruined."

Scotty spoke up from the rear seat. "There's one big fat flaw in that
argument, boy. Would anyone care so much about business that he'd want
to stay and be blown up? Who thinks more of business than he does of his
own skin?"

Zircon chuckled. "There may be such people, but I suspect they're
scarce."

Rick had to agree. He stared through the windshield at the tail of Brad
Connel's jeep. The geologist was leading the way to the firing area, and
he was alone. Hartson Brant had tried to assign one of the boys as a
helper, but Connel had balked. He insisted that he did not need a
helper, that he was used to handling charges alone, that he did not want
to take the risk of an accident like that of yesterday.

"Connel was pretty determined to go it alone," Rick remarked.

"He's upset over the accident to Ruiz," Zircon pointed out. "He probably
feels bad because he couldn't see Ruiz when he visited the hospital."

Connel had gone into town with Dr. Balgos, and had paid a call at the
Executive Mansion. While Balgos talked with Governor Montoya, recreating
the stolen sketch from memory, Connel had been taken to the hospital by
Lieutenant Governor Jaime Guevara. The hospital reported that Ruiz was
on the danger list, his condition unchanged. He could have no visitors.
Apparently both Guevara and Governor Montoya had tried to assure Connel
that he should not be so depressed over what was obviously a freak
accident.

The trio stopped at their first station, and Connel waved, then
continued on his way. Rick watched him out of sight, then turned to go
to work. He remembered what the geologist had said the night before.

"Connel figures we have months before the volcano blows," he remembered.

"What?" Zircon looked up sharply. "How did he arrive at that
conclusion?"

"From Dr. Williams' sketch."

"Hmmm." The big scientist checked the detonator thoughtfully. "He must
have figured on a straight upward flow of the magma. But from the shape
of the magma front, I thin