"Not I. You are clever fellows to have trapped both of us."
Herr Muller looked at the lad sharply. He did not know what to make of this careless, debonair manner.
"Well, as you observed," he said at length, "we have trapped you."
"But what for? What do you want with little us?" grinned Herc.
"You are making fun of me, Mister Yankee."
"Not any more fun than you make of yourself," parried Herc quickly.
Herr Muller looked more puzzled than ever. Then he frowned suddenly. "You do not seem to realize the seriousness of your position," he said.
"Not I. Oh, I'm a care-free sail-o-r-r-r-r oh!" sang Herc. "How do you like my singing?" he inquired.
"Not very much," replied the other, looking at him with the same puzzled expression. Herr Muller couldn't make out whether Herc was crazy or simply light-headed.
"Sorry you don't like it," rejoined Herc; "when I sing in big cities it brings crowds. Sometimes it brings the police."
"I don't wonder. But I did not come down here to talk nonsense. Where is your companion?"
"I told you before I didn't know," rejoined Herc, seemingly with all the carelessness in the world. For the second time the crafty foreign anarchist had failed to trap Herc into an admission that he and Ned had met.
"I'll go and get him," said Herr Muller, starting for the cabin.
"I wish you'd bring me a glass of water," said Herc.
"There is water in that stone jug," said Herr Muller, indicating the drugged receptacle.
"Oh, I drank all that a long time ago," rejoined Herc, "I'm very fond of water."
For a reason we know of, Herr Muller looked surprised.
"You drank _all_ that water!" he exclaimed.
"Our water supply has run rather low," said Herr Muller, watching the Dreadnought Boy narrowly, "did you notice anything peculiar about that water?"
"Ah, now you come to speak of it, I did notice a peculiar taste to it," said Herc, restraining a desire to chuckle at the other's amazement, "a sort of bitter flavor. Is it that which you refer to?"
"Perhaps. But--but didn't it make you sleepy?" queried the other, his curiosity overcoming his discretion.
"Never felt more wide awake in my life," responded Herc, "I could sing this instant. I----"
But Herr Muller had fled into Ned's cabin. He found the boy apparently just wakening from a sound slumber, although Ned had enjoyed every word of Herc's foolish banter.