pen."

"What for?" demanded the boy.

"For whatever comes in sight," replied Ned. "Keep the line of vision
from this house to whatever may be beyond unimpaired if it is possible
to do so. If you observe anything unusual, report to me."

"All righto!" cried the boy.

Ned saw Jimmie making a noiseless progress up the little hill and turned
back to the man at the gate. Instantly the latter offered refreshments,
for the entire party, and seemed disappointed when the offer was
declined.

"You're going to Peking on business?" the Chinaman finally asked.

"Yes," was the short answer.

"Why do you ride in the night?"

"Because we must get there in the morning."

"But there is another day."

"Always there is another day in the Far East," Ned smiled, "but we of
the West count only on what we can do before that other day arrives."

The two talked on for half an hour, while the marines muttered
complaints and Frank and Jack rolled themselves in blankets and tried to
pay a visit to Dreamland. The previous night had been a hard one, and
they felt the need of more rest than they had been able to get during
the afternoon.

After a time Ned became anxious. He had sent Jimmie on ahead with the
notion that something was going to happen there within a short time.
But all was still about the house and the small fields which surrounded
it. Jimmie did not return.

"I wonder if the little scamp is in trouble again?" thought Ned.

This seemed to be the natural solution of the puzzle of his long
absence, and Ned was about to send Frank on after him when the little
fellow came up to him.

"The Captain wants you to get a move on," the boy said.

Ned saw that Jimmie had something to say to him which was not for the
ears of the Chinaman, and walked away, followed by the urgent voice of
the former laundryman, who besought him to return and partake of
refreshments.

"In honor of old New York!" he added.

"Gee!" Jimmie muttered, as the boys stood alone together. "I was
thinkin' I'd struck the fourth of July."

"Where?"

"Up on the hill."

"So, they were using rockets?"

"Yes."

"Where did they ascend from?"

"From the other side of the hill, at this end, and from an old house at
the other end."

Ned stood for a moment without speaking. So the Chinaman had been
holding him in conversation while his tools had been signaling to some
one farther up the road!

This was practically what he had suspected. From the f