The battle was rough but short. Bud and Mel had the advantage of surprise, and soon pommeled and grappled their foes into submission.
Bud, astride his opponent's chest with knees pinning the man's arms, unlooped from his belt the wire he had brought.
"Here! Take some of this and wire your man's wrists together!" Bud told Mel.
When the frogmen were safely bound, Bud and Mel allowed them to stand up. Neither captive tried to escape.
"Now, my sneaky friends, talk!" Bud snapped. "What kind of a sightseeing trip did you plan?"
The frogmen's jaws remained tightly clamped. Both looked flushed and sullen as they faced their captors.
"Got their lips zipped, I guess," Mel said disgustedly.
Bud decided to try another tack. "Doesn't matter," he said carelessly. "We know they're pals of the Mirovs."
Both men started as if they had been stung. Bud followed up quickly, hoping to prod them into some unguarded remark.
"Just as we thought!" he snarled. "A couple of low-down Brungarian rebels! And up to their usual amateurish spy stunts!"