n to sight such a machine,
and I am still at my old friend, Stormways, I wish you would let me know
about it."

"I certainly will, sir; and perhaps you'd like me to speak to the
gentlemen, and tell them how anxious you are to see them?" Paul went on;
at which the other gave a laugh.

"I see you are on to me, my boy. You guess that such is the very last
thing I would want you to do. Now, I'm going to take you into my
confidence, Paul," he went on, bending his head lower, and giving a quick
glance around.

"Yes, sir; that's very kind of you, Mr. Pender," said the lad, smiling.

"Oh! I don't know. I have an axe to grind in doing so; for I believe
that you can be of assistance to me. The two men in that motor car are
criminals, for whose capture I have come to this part of the country,
Paul."

"Goodness! that sounds interesting, sir. What have they been doing?"
asked the young scout leader, with boyish curiosity brimming over.

"I won't tell you that, Paul; but they are wanted by the Government. And
sometimes we agents have to go about our business with great caution, in
order to discover enough evidence on the suspects to convict. So, above
all things, I do not wish to alarm these clever gentlemen unduly, lest
they manage to hide, or get rid of the only burden of proof. In other
words, as a common expression has it, I want to get them with the goods
on. You understand?"

"Yes, sir; I think I do. And if I see or hear anything about that red
car, I'll tell you. But is it true that you and Jack's father were chums
long ago?"

"That's the positive truth, my boy," replied the agent, nodding; "why, we
took several voyages together, and had lots of queer adventures. I never
dreamed that my wild old friend Alan would settle down to this humdrum
life, as a lumber merchant, and the head of a family. But I suppose it
all came of his meeting a girl. And after knowing his fine wife I don't
blame him a bit; though I've kept right along in the same old groove, and
see more or less of adventure."

"He's a mighty fine man, and they think lots of him here," declared Paul,
who was amazed to learn that his chum's parent could have, once upon a
time, been reckoned a wild blade.

Paul walked on with his lips puckered up as if whistling, and his face
filled with the new interest that had taken possession of him.

He had read accounts in the papers of Boy Scouts being concerned in many
useful enterprises; and he wondered whether he