"Possibly. But I haven't them now. How would you feel if I should tell you that the young lady and I have made this journey simply to throw you off the scent, and that the papers were being delivered by another person?" "I not believe," declared Arima shortly. Suddenly Maku began to jabber at Arima, who, after an instant of consideration, gave a quick order to the fourth Japanese, who stood by. This man went to the tonneau and got the prospectuses which Orme had placed under the seat cushion. Arima snatched the papers with his free hand, then, resigning Orme entirely to Maku's care, and clucking strangely, opened them. A glance sufficed. With a cry of disappointment, he tore the papers in two and threw them to the ground. He thrust his face close to Orme's. "Where the papers?" he said. Orme did not reply. The Japanese who had brought the prospectuses from the tonneau now stepped to Maku's assistance, for Orme had made a motion of the body which showed that he was rapidly losing his patience. "Queek!" Still no answer. "Ha!" The exclamation had a ring of triumph. "Mees have um!" He nodded toward the car where the girl still sat. "No," exclaimed Orme vehemently. "She has not." "Mees have um," repeated Arima. "We hunt. We see." "I tell you she has not," said Orme. "No believe you." Arima chuckled. "Come, mees." As Orme twisted himself around, he was enraged to see the Japanese in the car seize the girl by the arm and drag her to the ground. Once on her feet, she did not resist, but permitted herself to be led toward the little group. Arima advanced a step to meet her. "Give me papers," he said. "I have no papers," she protested despairingly. "We search you," said Arima, taking another step toward her and extending his hands. It may be that Arima did not intend actually to lay hands on her. His thought may have been that the threat would induce Orme to tell where the papers really were. But the effect on Orme was to set him ablaze with anger. His swift, indignant purpose seemed to multiply his strength until the little men who held him were like children in his hands. A sudden jerk, and he had pulled both his arms free. Maku and the man at his other side were taken completely by surprise, and before they had time to recover themselves, Orme had thrown his arms around them and crushed their heads together with such force that they dropped limp and unconscious to the ground. They were out of the fight. At the first sounds of struggle, Arima turned. Now, as Orme charged toward him, he bent slightly forward, every muscle tense, ready to strike or trip or twist. His framework was overlaid by muscles that were like supple steel. Light and quick, he had a strength that could hardly have been inferred from his build. And though Orme's outbreak had been sudden, the Japanese was apparently not in the least disconcerted.