The little officer turned sharply to his companion. "Make a note of
that, Sergeant," he snorted. "Head it, suspicious information: first
prisoner, probably dangerous burglar burgling on Christmas eve; second
prisoner, cattle thief; third prisoner--"

"But we aren't anything like that," broke in Rudolf hastily. "You're
entirely mistaken, we--"

"Say what you are, then," snapped the officer, "and where you have
come from and where you are going and what you are going to do when
you get there; say it, quick!" And raising his little gun, the officer
pointed it straight at Rudolf's nose.

"We have come from Catnip Island where we were captured by the cat
pirates," began Rudolf, stumbling over the words in his excitement,
"and we--we don't know exactly where we are going, and we--we aren't
doing exactly anything!"

"Aha!" The officer turned to his sergeant with a triumphant
expression. "Just what I thought. Anybody that can't give a better
account of himself than that had better be locked up. Spies--aha!
Another of you came ashore a while ago--a glib-tongued, story-telling
gentleman who fooled us into letting him off, but we've got _you_ safe
and sound and here you'll stay! Sergeant, arrest these spies!"

"Certainly, sir," said the sergeant, making a note of it in his book,
"but please, sir, how do they be spelled, Captain Jinks, sir?"

"S-p-i-s-e, spies, of course, idiot!" snapped the captain. "Now then,