de way. De jail guards done be shot up, an' ouah folks
turn' loose. Den we all strike out fo' new place, an' begin all ober
again. Den a new gang come in heah and operate to get de money away from
de breakwatah gangs. Dere's so much money in dat camp yondah dat ouah
folks done gottah hab it ef a dozen men has to be kill'."

"For cold-blooded, systematic villainy I believe I am listening to the
limit!" quivered Lieutenant Dick Prescott under his breath.

"They're insane, these people," was Tom's inward comment. "Let this crowd
of scoundrels shoot up the jail guards, and do they think the citizens
would ever allow the gang to operate in camp? There'd be more likelihood
of the known members of the gang being lynched!"

"I won't go back to jail if I can help it," laughed Evarts, speaking to
the negro. "As soon as I even up one or two grudges I'm going to slip
away."

"Break yo' bail?" asked the negro, showing his teeth.

"That's about the size of it," nodded Evarts.

"Den de w'ite gemman who done fu'nish yo' bond will be feelin' bad, won't
he?"

"Let him---he's no friend of mine," grunted the discharged foreman.

"Maybe yo'd like de job ob tendin' to Boss Reade yo'so'f?" hinted Sambo
darkly.

"Oh, I'm going to settle with Reade in some fashion," boasted Evarts with
a leer. "I don't know that I want to kill him. I'd rather cripple him
and let him live a life of misery."

"Thank you!" thought Tom from his hiding place.

"There's another chap we'll have to deal with, too, I'm thinking," Evarts
went on. "Reade and Hazelton have a friend of theirs here, and he's
likely to make some trouble for us. He's an army officer."

"I done heah'd ob him," nodded Sambo. "We can settle wid him, too."

"We ought to, for he helped arrest me, and he's to be a witness on the
torpedo matter."

"W'ate's his name---de ahmy man's?" inquired Sambo.

"Prescott. He's---"

The speaker stopped suddenly, looking about him.

"What was that, Tar?" Evarts demanded.

"W'at yo' talkin' 'bout?"

"I heard a noise, and it was right over there," replied Evarts, pointing
to where Tom and Dick lay hidden.

"I didn't heah nuffin'."

"I did, I tell you, and it will have to be looked into," insisted the
ex-foreman, drawing his automatic revolver.

"Go ahaid, den," encouraged Sambo, also drawing his weapon. "Ef anybody
been a-lis'enin', den shoot him full ob holes!"

Evarts darted at the bushes ahead of his companion. Then a