“Jumping jelly fish, it surely looked like the mints of the world rolled into one,” Jim declared.
“Didn’t it! You remember I told you once that if any of the gang discovered one of the strongholds they would get very little?”
“Sure!” Jim nodded, then he remembered the Gonzalas. “I thought I saw Mrs. Gonzalas here. You said that you put masks on them too—are they all right?”
“They are and they are leaving presently. Like to see them off?”
“Sure. Jinks, they have had so many disappointments crowded into a couple of days,” he said regretfully.
“Come along.” The Sky Buddies followed arm in arm, and soon they entered a plain little apartment which looked exactly like hundreds of other homes of well to do families. There was no evidence of luxury, or anything especially marvelous, and Jim immediately guessed that the rooms were arranged for such an emergency; a time when guests could be in the real Amy-Ran fastness without actually seeing anything which would appear out of the ordinary. It was like the residents of persons of culture. When the boys and their escort entered, the three Gonzalas were just finishing luncheon, and they rose quickly at sight of Jim.
“You are safe and well,” Mrs. Gonzalas’ eyes filled with tears, but she blinked them back. “Into great trouble we got you.”
“We rejoice that the fresh air which came through the crack helped to keep you alive until these men got us out. The others are dead. It is a good thing. They are wicked,” Pedro said earnestly, and Jim realized that the little family thought they understood how they happened to be saved.
“I prayed to the Mother of God and she helped us,” Mrs. Gonzalas said softly.
“She surely did,” Jim declared.