egan to talk.

"I waited, like you said, an' I guess I fell asleep. All at once such
a noise, and flames flashing, woke me up, and right away, seeing fires
and commotion all over the palace walls, I supposed they had spotted
you somehow. I thought--should another fire break out somewhere else,
it might pull the crowds away from the palace, or make them think
something was goin' on up there. So I lit a fire with my flint, and
then ran right quick with the package to the ledge, struck three
times, and shut my eyes"--here Amos covered his eyes with one
hand--"and got in. And this silly thing's been a-tippin' and
a-teeterin' ever since."

[Illustration]

Chris brought balloon and eagle down into a rice field, and the two
boys transferred the Jewel Tree to the greater safety of the balloon
basket. Amos, having the wonderful Jewel Tree to guard, forgot his
fears and sat down beside it, where he soon fell asleep. Chris, tying
the tail of the eagle to the side of the basket with his shirt, towed
Amos and the Jewel Tree through the air all that night and all the
next day. They came down at noon in a deserted part of the country so
that Chris could sleep and rest, and Amos find fresh water for the
leathern bottles they had strapped to their waists. Then they went on
until they saw the sea and the wavering line of the coast below and
ahead of them.

[Illustration]

The eagle and balloon came gently down at dusk. The balloon was folded
into its small size and put back in the pouch around Chris's neck. Out
of sight of Amos, Chris transformed the eagle to a boat in which, in
the dark of the night, the two boys reached the side of the
_Mirabelle_ with their precious cargo. The sailors of the _Mirabelle_
were asleep, but Chris roused the Captain, who helped them secretly
carry the Jewel Tree to a corner of his cabin.

All hands were then called on deck and everything was hurry and
bustle. Before dawn had broken, the _Mirabelle_ had left the coast of
China and was well out to sea.

CHAPTER 32

It was not until Chris, relieved, proud and happy at the success of
his mission, opened his sea chest and took out the shell that he had
the faintest vibration of trouble or danger. Until then he had lived,
breathed, and thought only of obtaining the Jewel Tree, and once that
had been accomplished, he felt that his anxieties were over.

However, as he shut and locked the cabin door behind him, feeling with
an increased zest th