While the other boys were eagerly devouring the contents of the various envelopes they had received, bearing the New York post mark, Ned, who had put his own letters in his pocket for later reading, sauntered over to the station to interview the telegraph agent, who was also the ticket man, express agent and filled various other offices as well after the usual custom of these small towns. It was only a short time later that Jack, Harry and Jimmy, still devouring the long letters they had received, in which all the news of the home circles was retailed, saw Ned walking briskly toward them. "He's struck something or other that's given him reason to chirk up," announced the observant Jimmy, as he took a shrewd look at Ned's face on the scout master drawing near. "Ten to one he's had word from the head of the Secret Service in Washington. It'd sure be pretty punk now if after comin' so far over deserts and the like to visit your uncle, we had to drop off here and take the train back to Los Angeles, so Ned could help gather in some gang of counterfeiters or look up a bunch of smugglers bringing the Heathen Chinese across the Mexican border while all that fighting is goin' on down there between Villa and Huerta." Ned quickly joined them. They could see from the alert look on his face that something must have happened since he left them shortly before to arouse Ned. His eyes shone with resolution and he had the look that appears on a hunter's face when he discovers the track of the animal he had long wanted to bag. "Did you find a message waiting for you here, Ned?" asked Harry. "Just what I did," came the reply. "Then it must have been from Washington?" suggested Jack, anxiously. "But let's hope for Harry's sake it won't call you off from this scheme we've got started." "That's the strangest thing of it all," replied Ned; "because, you see, this message was meant to send me from Los Angeles straight down into this very section of the Colorado River country." CHAPTER III. THE HELPING HAND. When Ned made this announcement the others exchanged looks in which wonder struggled with curiosity. "Tell me about that, now," muttered Jimmy; "was there ever anything like the luck that chases after us all the while? Here we start out to visit Harry's uncle, so he might carry out a mission that his folks sent him on, and of course the Government must a guessed all about it, since they went and laid a game to be hatched out right in the same part of the Wild and Wooly West. Can you beat it?" "Let Ned tell us what the game is, can't you, Jimmy?" demanded Harry. "Yes, and please don't break in again with your remarks until he's all through," added Jack. "It bothers a fellow to make connections when you get started. If you must talk, why, we'll throw in and hire a hall for the occasion. Now, Ned, tell us what the Secret Service folks want you to do."