"Come, are you going to answer?" demanded Mr. Bell.
No reply.
"Very well, I'll drive into Hampton and see if the Chief of Police can't get more out of you."
The mining magnate made a step toward the car as if he were about to carry out his threat. This was too much for Joey's composure.
"We came here with Mortlake to do a little job fer him guv'ner," he sputtered out.
"Oh, you did, eh? Well, what was the nature of that employment?"
"To disable one of them flying machines."
"Which one?"
"One that belonged to the Prescott kids. Mortlake said he'd make it worth our while—and—no, you can't stop me, Slim—and then when we couldn't find the machine we was to bust up he turned us loose without a cent of the money he promised us. We was broke, and——"
"And so you thought you'd replenish your pockets by holding up some automobilist or traveller, eh? Humph, you're a nice pair."