“Bless my chicken soup!” cried Mr. Damon.  “Is anything damaged, Tom?”

“No, Koku was too quick for him.” yelled the youth, as he, too leaped over the rail and joined in the pursuit.

“Stop!  Stop!” called Koku to the man who had sought to damage the great searchlight.  But the fellow knew better than to halt, with an angry giant so close behind him.  He ran on faster than ever.

Suddenly the stranger seemed to realize that by keeping in the path of the light he gave his pursuers a great advantage.  He dodged to one side, off the path on which he had been running, and plunged into the bushes.

“Where him go?” called Koku, coming to a puzzled halt.

“Ned, play the light on both sides!” ordered Tom to his chum, who was now on the deck of the airship, near the wheels and levers that operated the big lantern.  “Show him up!”

Obediently the young bank clerk swung the searchlight from side to side.  The powerful combined electric current, hissing into the big carbons, and being reflected by the parabolic mirrors, made the growth of underbrush as brightly illuminated as in day time.  Tom detected a movement.

“There he is, Koku!” he called to his giant servant.  “Off there to the left.  After him!”

Raising his club on high, Koku made a leap for the place where the fugitive was hiding.  As the man saw the light, and sprang forward, he was, for a moment, in the full glare of the rays.  Then, just as the giant was about to reach him, Koku stumbled over a tree root, and fell heavily.

“Never mind, I’ll get him!” yelled Tom, but the next moment the man vanished suddenly, and was no longer to be seen in the finger of light from the lantern.  He had probably dipped down into some hollow, lying there hidden, and as of course was out of the focus of the searchlight.

“Come on, Koku, we’ll find him!” exclaimed Tom, and together they made a search, Mr. Damon joining them, while Ned worked the lantern.  But it was of no avail, for they did not find the stranger.

“Well, we might as well go back,” said Tom, at length.  “We can’t find him.  He’s probably far enough off by this time.”

“Who was he?” panted Mr. Damon, as he walked beside Tom and Koku to the airship.  Ned had switched off the big light on a signal from the young inventor.

“I don’t know!” answered Tom.

“But what did he want?  What was he doing?  I don’t quite understand.”

“He wanted to put my searchlight out of commission,” responded our hero.  “From that I should argue that he was either one of the smugglers, or trying to aid them.”

And this theory was borne out by Mr. Whitford, who, on calling the next morning, was told of the occurrence of the night.  Koku related how he had found it uncomfortable in his bunk, and had gone out on deck for air.  There, half dozing, he heard a stealthy step.  At once he was on the alert.  He saw a man with a gun creeping along, and at first thought the fellow had evil designs on some of those aboard the Falcon.