“He doesn’t know. He imagined it was money, and that was why he was hanging on to it so tightly. The others, he says, claimed there were only papers in the box—papers that would get them into trouble if they fell into the hands of the government. That’s why it was tossed overboard.”
“Does he know anything about Uncle Phil’s affairs?” asked Ned.
Mr. Kennedy inquired, but the man shook his head. He seemed much disheartened. Possibly he imagined he would be executed.
“And to think we have to come away, and leave at the bottom of the sea evidence that would free Uncle Phil,” said Frank regretfully, as the rescue boat towed them away from the place where the box had sunk.
“Yes, it is too bad,” agreed his brother. “Well, maybe things will take a better turn, now that the revolution is broken up and Bernardo and his crowd scattered.”
“I hope so,” returned Frank, thoughtfully.
When they reached the city the man they had picked up was turned over to the military authorities. Then Frank and Ned reported to their commanding officer. He had just begun to wonder where they had gone, as the fighting was all over, and the blue-jackets (though they all wore white now instead of blue) were reporting back.
“And so they got away?” asked the lieutenant, after hearing the story of our two heroes.
“Yes, and all because of a pint of gasoline!” said Frank, bitterly. “If we’d had that much we could have caught them, I’m sure.”
“But not in time to have saved the box of papers,” Ned remarked.