“You had the situation sized up correctly,” Mr. Burnett praised. “The kidnappers are Zudi worshipers, and are the last of a tribe that for years has been thought no longer to exist. As I understand it, the drum was formerly used for ceremonial dances and the like. Then it was stolen, or so these men claimed. The order is characterized by a particular symbol which appears on the drum and also on pins they wear.”
“It was the jade pin that gave me my first clue,” Madge declared.
“How did the natives trace the drum to you, Mr. Burnett?” Rex asked.
“I don’t know that, but they were willing to cross an ocean to find me. Perhaps after all, I should turn the drum over to them.”
“You’ll not be able to do it for a good many years,” Jack French observed. “Unless there’s some slip, they’ll all get stiff sentences in the pen. The sect should be broken up.”
“After all you’ve gone through, I think you deserve to keep the drum,” Rex added.
Madge was curious to know how Jack and Rex had met and the former obligingly told the story.
“After I received your telegram, Madge, I hopped a train and came as fast as it would carry me. I arrived at Cheltham Bay and learned that The Flora was still anchored in the harbor. I went down to the wharf, thinking I’d hire a boat to take me out there.”
“Then he ran into me,” Rex interrupted. “I had my amphibian tuned up and was watching the yacht to see when you girls started away in the motor boat. He asked me how he could get out there and I suspiciously demanded his name and his business. As soon as I learned he was a friend of yours, Madge, I invited him to join the festivities.”
“I guess I arrived too late to be of much service,” the ranger said regretfully.