Page:Dave Porter on Cave Island.djvu/125

Rh for the recovery of the jewels and this reward was later on increased to five thousand dollars.

When Tony Wells was well enough to tell his story he said he had been going the rounds of the works when he suddenly found himself confronted by two masked men. He had started to cry out and run for help when the men had seized him and thrown him down and bound him fast to a work-bench. Then the men had gone to the offices, and later on had come the explosion. He knew they were blowing open the safes and did what he could to free himself. At last he managed to get free, but found himself too weak to run for help. He had dragged himself to the telephone in the shipping-room and was sending his message to Mr. Wadsworth when the masked men had again appeared and knocked him down. That was all he remembered until the time he was found, as already described.

"You did not see the faces of the two men?" asked Oliver Wadsworth.

"No, sir, they were all covered with black masks. But I think the fellows was rather younglike," answered the old watchman. "Both of 'em was about the size of Dave Porter,—but neither of 'em was Dave,—I know that by the voices," he went on, hastily.

"No, Dave was at home with me," said Oliver