gets away during my absence."

"I'm goin' to get away right now," Jimmie exclaimed. "I'm goin' with
Ned to the city. I guess I'm not visiting China to live in a cornfield.
I want to see the wheels go round!"

The officer glanced at Ned questioningly, while the little fellow made a
face back.

"Let him come along," Ned said. "He'll come anyway, whether we give him
permission or not. How far must we walk?"

"Walk?" repeated Jimmie. "I'm goin' to take my motorcycle."

"That may be a good idea," admitted the officer. "I had not thought of
that."

"We may have to make a run for it, judging from the experiences we had
at Taku," Ned suggested.

"Nothing of the kind here," the other said. "You are as safe in this
city as you would be in New York, under the same conditions, of course.
You know there are sections of New York which strangers do well to keep
out of at night."

So, mounting their cycles again, the three set off for the foreign
section of Tientsin. At first the streets were very bad, but in time
they came to smoother running and good time was made.

It was now approaching midnight, but the city, was still awake and
stirring. The streets were well filled with pedestrians, and many of
the small shops were open.

Naturally the three motorcycles, speeding through the streets of the
ancient city, attracted no little attention. Here and there little
groups blocked the way for an instant, but on the whole fair progress
was made.

Jimmie, by no means as anxious as were his companions, enjoyed every
moment of the dash. He was thinking of the stories he would have to
tell when he returned to the Bowery again!

It is quite possible that the way would have been more difficult for the
riders only for the uniform of the officer. Foreigners are not given
much consideration by the street crowds in China--especially by such
crowds as enliven the thoroughfares at night--but, since the march of
the allied armies to Peking, uniforms have been held in great awe.

At last the telegraph office was reached, and Ned was glad to see that
lights still burned within. His night ride would at least prove of
avail. He would receive instructions directly from Washington, and that
would be more to the purpose than traveling along like a blind mole in
the earth, receiving his information by bits from underlings in the
Secret Service.

Besides, the boy was wet and cold, for the night was growing more
disagreeable every