to Colonel Throckmorton as soon as possible. At the first
considerable town they reached, where he found a telegraph office
open, he wired to the colonel, using the code which he had
memorized. The price of a couple of glasses of beer had induced
the driver and the soldier to consent to a slight delay of the
truck, and he tried also to ring up Jack Young's house and find
out what had happened to Dick.

When he found that the line was out of order he leaped at once to
the same conclusion that Jack and Dick had reached -- that it had
been cut on purpose. He could not stay to see if it would be
repaired soon.

A stroke of luck came his way, however. In this place Boy Scouts
were guarding the gas works and an electric light and power plant,
and he found one squad just coming off duty. He explained
something of his errand to the patrol leader, and got the
assurance that the telephone people should be made to repair the
break in the wire.

"We'll see to it that they find out what is the trouble, Fleming,"
said the patrol leader, whose name was Burridge. "By the way, I
know a scout in your troop -- Graves. He was on a scout with us a
few weeks ago, when he was visiting down here. Seemed to be no
end of a good fellow."

Harry was surprised for he had heard nothing of this before. But
then that was not strange. He and Graves were not on terms of
intimacy, by any means. He decided quickly not to say anything
against Graves. It could do no good and it might do harm.