“No,” he answered, “not aid them openly, but shut our eye to what they do, and seek diligently for this leak by which the rebels are receiving arms from our country.” “What is it, Mr. Perry?” the captain added, surprising a look on the lad’s face that told he had a question he would gladly ask. “I’d like to volunteer to find out from where the arms come, sir,” he replied eagerly. “That you will,” agreed the captain, smiling at the enthusiastic boy. “I shall depend upon you young men to ferret this out and stop up the hole through which this aid comes.” Phil’s hand trembled with excitement as it took down the plan devised by the captain and his executive officer. It included a guard for the legations, the home of the minister, and all foreign property of value. Lazar, on account of his linguistic attainments, was to have charge, and Marshall and Morrison were to be his assistants. Phil was to have the “Vidette,” a large sixty foot steamer, at his disposal, and Sydney was to accompany him. Bristling with his important news, he found his roommate in their room, hard at work brushing up his Spanish. “Good work, Syd,” Phil cried, glancing at the book in Sydney’s hand; “we are both going to have lots of practice with that tongue;” and then he recited to him the news. Sydney was delighted and showed it by pounding his roommate over the back with his book; then he flung it on the bunk and opened a drawer, disclosing two handsomely mounted Colt revolvers. “My graduation present from dad,” he replied to the questioning glance; “aren’t they beauties? I am going to give you one; they are so much handier than our large navy revolvers.” “I couldn’t think of receiving one,” Phil replied gratefully. “I don’t believe we need to carry arms at all, and if we do, it would be wiser to carry them openly.” “I shall insist, Phil,” urged Sydney. “Give it back when you have no further use for it. But you must see there may be times, in secret work, where we might wish to be considered unarmed civilians, and in a country in the throes of revolution, it’s much safer to have one of these little persuaders handy.” CHAPTER VI SECRET SERVICE Three days of steady steaming brought the “Connecticut” within the tropics. The sea was as peaceful as the waters of a lake and the sun overhead shone down with pitiless severity. “All hands” were now dressed in white uniforms, which made them comfortable enough on deck under the cool shade of an awning, but below decks the heat from the engines and boilers was stifling. The two friends spent most of their leisure hours in the open air and at night rolled themselves in their blankets on the clean white deck. One evening they had made themselves comfortable for the night and were both speculating upon what was in store for them in the land of turmoil to which they were journeying. “Did you notice the sailorman,” asked Sydney, “who has been walking past here as if he were trying to find out who we are?”