hamber to the ladies' anteroom."

"Just so, Professor, and that passage has a turn in it, if I remember
right, so that two well-armed men could hold it against quite a lot.
Supposing now that you and I, Professor, should go and take a nap in
that guard-room, which will be empty, for the watch is set at the palace
gate. We shan't be wanted here, since if the Captain can't touch off
that mine, no one can, with the Doctor to help him just in case anything
goes wrong, and Japhet guarding the line. I daresay there's nothing
in this yarn, but who knows? There might be, and then we should blame
ourselves. What do you say, Professor?"

"I? Oh, I'll do anything you wish, though I should rather have liked to
climb the cliff and watch what happens."

"You'd see nothing, Higgs," interrupted Oliver, "except perhaps the
reflection of a flash in the sky; so, if you don't mind, I wish you
would go with the Sergeant. Somehow, although I am quite certain that
we ought not to alarm Maqueda, I am not easy about her, and if you two
fellows were there, I should know she was all right, and it would be a
weight off my mind."

"That settles it," said Higgs; "we'll be off presently. Look here, give
us that portable telephone, which is of no use anywhere else now. The
wire will reach to the palace, and if the machine works all right we can
talk to you and tell each other how things are going on."

Ten minutes later they had made their preparations. Quick stepped up to
Oliver and stood at attention, saying:

"Ready to march. Any more orders, Captain?"

"I think not, Sergeant," he answered, lifting his eyes from the little
batteries that he was watching as though they were live things. "You
know the arrangements. At ten o'clock--that is about two hours hence--I
touch this switch. Whatever happens it must not be done before, for fear
lest the Doctor's son should not have left the idol, to say nothing of
all the other poor beggars. The spies say that the marriage feast will
not be celebrated until at least three hours after moonrise."

"And that's what I heard when I was a prisoner," interrupted Higgs.

"I daresay," answered Orme; "but it is always well to allow a margin
in case the procession should be delayed, or something. So until ten
o'clock I've got to stop where I am, and you may be sure, Doctor, that
under no circumstances shall I fire the mine before that hour, as indeed
you will be here to see. After that I can't say what will happ