this fright, save the sound and sight of our plane hovering over them?
Since it is almost certain that they have never seen an airplane, it
seems likely that they considered it to be old Thunder-bird come to carry
them off. If that is true, I shall not look for them back in a hurry."

"What puzzles me is, where's the remains of the fellow's generator
and wireless?" said Barney. "Don't see anything down there in the
ruins, do you?"

Instantly all eyes were turned toward the smouldering piles of ashes.

"The place was wired all right," said the Major, pointing to a mass of
tangled lighting wire.

"Say! What's that out in the center?" exclaimed Barney. "Looks like the
bones of a man?"

"So it does," said the Major, "and surely is. Well, there can't be
any further doubt about the rascal being burned in the ruins of his
own house."

Then there came a shout from Barney. He had been tracing out the masses
of blackened wire.

"Look!" he exclaimed. "Here's where the lead-wires go into the ground.
Must be a separate power-house. Three lead-wires instead of two. What do
you suppose that means?"

He clipped the soft wires off with his heavy knife, and bent them apart
to avoid short circuits; then, closely followed by the others, went