“Well, does it work? Got it out?” he asked of the little man and received a muffled reply from beneath the _chassis_. Don walked around the mudguard past the rear end, and looked along the other side. No one was in sight. Had the tall man slipped into the car? He would find out. “Nice car you have here--don’t see many as fine in the service,” he remarked to the man beneath. Again a muffled reply. One can hardly give attention to needless questions and wrestle with a refractory bolt. “How is she fitted inside?” Don queried, putting one hand on the latch of the full-length doors and the other on the butt of his revolver in its holster. But the doors were fastened on the inside. “Don’t open those doors! Don’t try to, for the love of God!” yelled the small man, from the ground and instantly his wrinkled face emerged, followed by his wiry little body. “We’re loaded with explosives for mines and they’ll go off. Keep away from it!” Whether this was true or not and whether the fellow really felt frightened or was pretending, he certainly assumed it well. Don involuntarily backed away from the car. “Oh, but that was a narrow escape! We’d all be sky-high if--” he began again, but the boy quickly regained his nerve. “Well, tell me, how does it carry them; stand the jolt? And how are you going to unload it? Looks to me as if you’re kidding. But I don’t see any joke in it.” “Kidding? Indeed I’m not, man! But I can’t stop now--” “Oh, yes you will, too! My business is more important right now than yours. I want to see inside and I’m going to. You come here and open these doors for me!” “What? Trying to act smart, ain’t you?” The little man was about to turn back to his work, but Don caught him by the shoulder, whirled him around and he gazed into the muzzle of the boy’s revolver. “S-s-say, what you--?” “Open those doors! There’s a fellow in there that’s going back with us. He’s in there and I want him! Come on, open that door and be quick about it. Wash, bore a hole in this fellow if he makes a break!” “S-say, put down that pistol! I haven’t done anything to you. Listen to reason: there ain’t anyone in there. The man who was here--some fellow I don’t know went up the road. Guess he’s a Frenchman.” “I guess he is--_not_!” said Don. “I know him; saw him before in the United States and up here near Montdidier. Come, open up or chase him out!” “I tell you there’s explosives--” “Bosh! Think I’m green; don’t you? Before I have to tell you again to open those doors I’m going to blow the lock off ’em. Now, get busy!” [Illustration: DON CAUGHT HIM BY THE SHOULDER AND WHIRLED HIM AROUND.]