to one side so that he might get a better look
at what was underneath. "It looks brand new, too."

There were numerous coils of the wire, and these the cadets and Jed
Wallop looked at with interest. Then they found several packing cases,
all nailed up tightly and marked in English and in German.

"This is certainly queer," said Jack.

"Say, what's the matter with opening one or two of the cases and seeing
what's in 'em?" suggested Fred.

"Have we any right to do that?" asked Gif doubtfully.

"We'll take the right," decided Jack. "I'm satisfied that those fellows
are up to no good. You know what Tony Duval said when they asked him to
do something."

Not far from the barn was a woodshed, and here the cadets procured an
axe and a hammer. With these implements they managed to pry open one of
the packing cases. Inside was what looked to be electrical machinery,
but just what it was they could not make out.

"Looks like that telephone or telegraph line all right enough," remarked
Randy. "But what are those fellows going to do with any such line as
that away up here?"

"It's a riddle, ain't it?" remarked Jed Wallop. "Jest the same, that
stuff looks mighty suspicious to me."

They continued their investigation, and behind the packing cases found
some machinery. All of it was new and strange to them.

"If they've got so much queer stuff out here in the barn, how much more
do you suppose they've got in the house?" questioned Fred.

"If I was sure no one was at home I'd be strongly tempted to find a way
inside and take a look around," said Jack.

"Come ahead and do it!" burst out Randy. "I don't believe there's a soul
around."

"I'll tell you what I'll do," said Jack finally. "You keep out of sight,
and I'll go out on the road and walk toward the house and knock on the
door. Then, if anybody comes, I'll say that I'm out hunting and would
like to buy a bit to eat. They can't refuse me a bite, and that will
give me a little chance to look around while I'm inside."

"I don't think you ought to go alone," said Gif. "They know there are a
bunch of us at the Lodge and they would be rather suspicious if you were
by yourself. Why not let me go with you?"

So it was arranged, and, leaving the others hidden in the barn, the two
cadets started to walk through the woods to the road.

"Keep your guns with you," advised Jed Wallop. "And if you git into
anything like a tight place, shoot off one of the guns as a signal and
we