“Well, Captain,” said Jack, “you may not believe it, but we three happened to have a hand in breaking up that traffic. And a sweet time we had of it, too, for a while. By accident, we stumbled on something in San Francisco which made us dangerous to the Smuggling Ring. They kidnapped us and took us to sea. But we managed to escape and to bring the government forces down on their hiding place in the Santa Barbara Channel islands. Fellows,” he added, addressing Bob and Frank, “do you remember that inventor—Professor What’s-his-name, and his radio finder for locating uncharted stations? That’s how we managed to find the hiding place, Captain, through locating their radio calls between a shore station and their boats.”
“Those were the happy days,” said Bob reminiscently, and a faraway look came into his eyes as his thoughts turned back to the exciting events narrated in The Radio Boys on Secret Service Duty.
Frank nodded. “Lots of fun,” he said.
Captain Cornell threw up his hands in mock dismay, as he laughed. “You three must be regular trouble-finders,” he commented. “Do you always get into the thick of things like this?”
“Oh, not always,” said Jack. And Bob grumbled:
“Thick of things? Huh. We aren’t in the thick of things this time. You fellows flying to Carana are going to get the cream of the whole affair.”
The conversation had been conducted in undertones. All four were standing on the outskirts of the group in Doctor Garfield’s office, which was brilliantly lighted while in one corner Captain Murray, finding he could obtain little information from the sullen Ramirez, was now pumping Ramon. Don Ferdinand had taken Rafaela to the home of his merchant friend, and the boys were to call on them on the morrow. Doctor Garfield had re-dressed Mr. Hampton’s wound, and the latter had departed for the hotel, accompanied by Mr. Temple, for the express purpose of trying to locate the owner of the flivver which Bob and Captain Cornell had made off with outside of the Nueva Laredo bull ring that afternoon, in their pursuit of Ramirez, and of reimbursing him.
The other aviators were listening to Captain Murray’s attempt to obtain information from Ramon. Presently the latter turned away impatiently, and, his eyes lighting on Jack, he beckoned him forward.
“Hampton, I can’t get anything out of your old cook. You try your hand.”
“Look here, Ramon,” said Jack, eyeing the old fellow keenly. “You’re afraid of something. You know you’ll not be prosecuted. You did us too good a turn outside for that. Now what is it? Tell me. Are you”—and he leaned closer, whispering so that only Ramon could hear—“afraid of what Ramirez may do if you betray any information about his plans?”