"Catch him!" cried Jack.
They all made a rush for the tree, but the flash of Andy's gun, while it revealed the man to them, also had the effect of momentarily blinding the men and boys. For an instant they could see nothing, and when the effect of the flash passed away the man was not in sight in the semi–gloom. They could hear him running through the underbrush outside of the garden, however, and took after him.
But the crazy machinist, if indeed it was he, got away, and after a vain search through the garden and about the machine shed, they all returned to the house, Mr. Roumann and the professor having joined in the hunt.
"What do you suppose he did it for?" asked Mark, when they were again gathered in the dining–room, examining the strange message.
"He wanted to scare us," suggested Jack.
"No, I really think he means to do us an injury," said Mr. Roumann. "He has some fancied grievance against us, or he is being used as a tool by Zeb Forker. Perhaps the man who stole the plates was with him, and he hoped to get some more during the confusion. I think we had better take a look at the machine shop."
They acted on this suggestion, but an examination there showed that nothing had been disturbed. No one had been in the place.
"I'm going to sleep here to–night," said German scientist. "I'm not going to take chances at the last moment. I'll stay here."
"So will I," decided Andy, and with his gun he mounted guard outside, while Mr. Roumann made up a bed in the projectile. They were not disturbed, however, any more that night.
"Now for Mars!" cried Jack, as the sun rose the next morning, and he jumped out of bed. "Hurry up, Mark! One would think you didn't care about going!"