"No doubt of it." "Here comes the conductor. We can explain matters to him and open the box." They had no trouble to persuade the conductor of the importance of seeing what the box contained, and they all had a talk with the baggage master. He held them off until nightfall. As the Bradys promised to have him absolved from blame, he finally gave his permission to them to open the box. Harry cut the rope that bound it and Old King Brady pried off the lid with an axe taken from one of the racks. The conductor held a lantern over the box. As the lid fell off, they were startled to see the body of a man lying in the box. His face was partly averted, as he lay upon his side. But the detectives saw that he was a man of about fifty, his portly form clad in a dark suit of clothes. His head was partly bald on top and his hair was gray. There was a closely-trimmed mustache of the same color on his upper lip, and his flesh, although pallid, had not yet changed to the waxen hue of death. It was evident that he was a victim of foul play, for his hands were bound behind his back, and his ankles tied together, while a gag was secured over his mouth as if to stifle his outcries. The detectives had no chance to observe any more, just then, for there suddenly sounded a quick danger signal of the locomotive's whistle. The engineer shut off steam, put on the brakes, and the startled conductor rushed from the car with the lantern, leaving the place in gloom. "What can be the matter?" muttered Old King Brady. "There's a fire on the track ahead!" said Harry, peering out the side door. "Where are we?" queried the baggage master, hastily. "Next to a big swamp," replied Harry. "And, by Jove--see--see! There's an obstruction--a heap of sleepers piled across the rails beyond the bonfire." "What the deuce can that mean?" muttered Old King Brady. "Bandits trying to rob this train? It don't seem possible, in this neighborhood." The train paused and they all alighted. Some of the brakemen ran ahead, and under the conductor's direction they removed the obstructions from the rails. The fire seemed to have been built where it was to show the engineer the pile of sleepers, and the brakemen scattered it, when the barrier was removed. As the bell rang, every one got aboard and the cars slowly went ahead. The Bradys and the baggage master returned to the latter's car. "We'll finish our examination of that body," said Old King Brady. "Yes," said Harry, "and----Good gracious! Where's the box gone?" Box and body had vanished. Every one was astounded. Then, like a flash, the truth suddenly dawned upon Harry's mind, and he cried: "Now I see through it. Those obstructions were put on the rails to stop the train at this point so that the body could be removed from this car." "By whom?" demanded the startled baggage master.