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playing lawn tennis presently if he continued to grow much softer and more

unmanly.

So the three set out through the jungle, following a trail which led around to the

north of the village. Theriere walked ahead with the boy's arm in his grasp. Byrne

followed closely behind. They reached their destination in the rear of Oda

Yorimoto's "palace" without interruption or detection. Here they reconnoitered

through the thick foliage.

Dere's a little winder in de back of de house," said Byrne. "Dat must be where

dem guys cooped up de little broiler."

"Yes," said Theriere, "it would be in the back room which the boy described. First

let's tie and gag this young heathen, and then we can proceed to business

without fear of alarm from him," and the Frenchman stripped a long, grass rope

from about the waist of his prisoner, with which he was securely trussed up, a

piece of his loin cloth being forced into his mouth as a gag, and secured there by

another strip, torn from the same garment, which was passed around the back of

the boy's head.

Rather uncomfortable, I imagine," commented Theriere; "but not particularly

painful or dangerous--and now to business!"

"I'm goin' to make a break fer dat winder," announced the mucker, "and youse

squat here in de tall grass wid yer gat an' pick off any fresh guys dat get gay in

back here. Den, if I need youse you can come a-runnin' an' open up all over de

shop wid de artillery, or if I gets de lizzie outen de jug an' de Chinks push me too

clost youse'll be here where yeh can pick 'em off easy-like."

"You'll be taking all the risk that way, Byrne," objected Theriere, "and that's not

fair."

One o' us is pretty sure to get hurted," explained the mucker in defense of his

plan, "an, if it's a croak it's a lot better dat it be me than youse, fer the girl

wouldn't be crazy about bein' lef' alone wid me--she ain't got no use fer the likes

o' me. Now youse are her kin, an' so youse stay here w'ere yeh can help her after I

git her out--I don't want nothing to do wid her anyhow. She gives me a swift pain,

and," he added as though it were an after-thought, "I ain't got no use fer dat

ransom eider--youse can have dat, too."

Hold on, Byrne," cried Theriere; "I have something to say, too. I do not see how I

can expect you to believe me; but under the circumstances, when one of us and

maybe both are pretty sure to die before the day is much older, it wouldn't be

worth while lying. I do not want that damned ransom any more, either. I only

The Mucker