"Hello! by the Satanic I thought I was not mistaken. The Dutchman we left adrift, for sure!" Fritz did not speak, or allow himself to move a particle, but stood glaring at his enemy like one turned to stone. "Hello! why the devil don't you answer?" Gregg demanded; apparently not feeling positive that Fritz was in the flesh. "If you don't answer, I'm hanged if I don't drown ye." No answer from Fritz. But from directly over the villain's head seemed to come the words, in a hoarse voice: "Villain, behold the reflection of your crime!" "Bah!" Gregg cried, with a start, glaring about him. "You can't play any tricks on me, you Dutch blunderbuss! In some way you've escaped the trap, and now I'll pay you a grudge I've got against you." And with a long knife in hand which he had drawn from his belt, he dashed fiercely at Fritz, regardless of the drawn revolver. Leveling his pistol at his opponent's breast, the young detective pulled the trigger. The weapon missed fire. Gregg was almost upon him now. There was but a moment to act, and yet, in that time, Fritz hurled the weapon with great velocity at the villain's head, and somersaulted backward into the water, the toe of one of his boots catching Gregg in under the lower jaw. This, with the stinging blow of the pistol, dropped him like a log to the ground, where he lay for an instant, howling with pain and rage. Fritz, landing in the water, swam through the almost submerged entrance, and soon was outside the cavern, at the edge of the bluff. To swim around to the southern side was the work of but a few moments, and he was once more on _terra firma_, at his starting-point. Here he sat down upon the beach to collect his thoughts. So strange had been his experience within the last few hours that he was really more confused than he had yet been since entering upon his profession as a detective. "Now den, let me see apoud somet'ings," he muttered. "In der virst blace, dis be a reg'lar ruffian seddlement, vere id don'd vas healthy vor such ash I, und id would puzzle me to do der shob all alone. I must haff some help. Off der ish a delegraph office near here, den I must find id, und delegraph to Philadelf vor assistance. Der ish no doubt but I haff discovered der smugglers, und der next t'ing is to cabture dem. Und I don'd dink id vas healthy for me to go down mit der cave again, undil dis matter keeps shady. I vonder vot haff pecome off der gal vot called herself Silly Sue?" "Here she is--what do you want of her?" a merry voice cried, and the elfin danced, laughing, out from behind a huge bowlder at Fritz's rear, where she had been concealed, evidently playing the spy. "What do you want of Silly Sue, Irishman?" "I vas no Irishman!" Fritz retorted. "I am a Dutchman." "Get out! You're pure Irish. But that ain't the point. What do you want of me?" "I vanted to inquire how far it ish to der nearest delegraph station?"