wful project outlined in the
former dispatches. Mr. Burkhill had not been in the office for months. As
yet, of the three telegrams sent him, he had not received one. The first
was lost in the river, the second had been on file more than half a year,
and we now had the third.

But the latter did not lie uncalled for even for an hour. Remembering the
instruction received from the manager, I took a copy of the message, with
the translation written out by Ben, to the office of the mayor, where I
laid the facts before him. This was on Wednesday, and the contemplated
robbery was fixed for the following night. By his direction I sent a
dispatch at once to the address of the detective in New York, who, it had
been arranged, was to look after the matter.

The reply to this message was the rather surprising information that
Detective Maxx had been in Damietta several days, and knew of the
contemplated robbery. He was shadowing the suspected party, and if he
deemed it necessary, he would call on the mayor for assistance.

While I was absent from the office, who should walk in but Mr. G. R.
Burkhill. He greeted Ben with much effusion, shaking him warmly by the
hand, inquiring how he got along, and telling him that his niece sent her
special regards to him.

"I have been on a trip to New Orleans," he added, "or I would have been
down in Damietta sooner, for I like the place."

"The summer isn't generally considered a good time to go so far south,"
ventured Ben.

"That is true, as relates to Northerners, but I was born in the Crescent
City, and have no fear of Yellow Jack; fact is, I have had the confounded
disease myself. By the way, have you a message for me?"

"We have two, in fact I may say three, for the copy of the first one that
went down the river with me has never been handed you, and one came a day
or two after you left."

"I know what they are, so you needn't mind about them. I will take the
last, if you please."

"It arrived within the last half hour," explained Ben, as he handed the
damp sheet to him.

The boy watched his countenance while Burkhill was reading it. It took
several minutes for him to study out its meaning, but he did so without
the aid of pencil or paper. A strange glitter came into his gray eyes as
the meaning broke upon him, and he muttered something to himself which
the lad did not quite catch.

Then he turned to the desk, and was engaged only a minute or two when he
handed a return messag