Seeing that Bob was doing very well under the care of Maximina and the professor, Ned and Jerry ran their machine over to where Noddy was.
“Don’t give me up!” pleaded Nixon. “I didn’t mean to do any harm. It was all Dalsett and Vasco. See, here is your money-belt, Jerry. I never touched a cent of it.”
“So it was you who took it, eh?” spoke Ned.
“No—no—I didn’t steal it. Dalsett made me take it that night,” faltered Noddy. “But I never took any money out of it. I used my own. Please let me go!”
“You are a prisoner of the captain, not one of ours,” replied Jerry. “He’ll have to settle your case.”
At that instant the captain, who, with his men, had ridden to where Vasco was stretched out on the ground, called to Jerry and Ned. They turned the machine toward him.
The professor, too, came running over. The captain spoke some command to one of his men, who began a search of the clothing of the kidnapper leader.
“Ha! There is something!” exclaimed the captain, as his man hauled two money-belts out of Vasco’s pocket. “I wonder whom they belong to?”
“One’s mine!” cried Ned.
“And the other is Bob’s,” said Jerry. “I wonder if there is any money left in them?”