“Oh, Dave, don’t go!” cried Jessie, as he walked toward the door, and she caught him by the arm.

“I don’t think I’d trust myself out there alone, Dave,” cautioned Roger in a low voice. “I think the best thing we can do under the present circumstances is to stick together.”

Dave hesitated. He realized that what his chum said might be true. Then his hand went into the pocket where he had his automatic pistol.

“I’ve got this, Roger. I think I can defend myself,” he said.

“Oh, Dave, I’d hate to see any shooting!” whispered his sister.

“There won’t be any shooting unless they start things,” he answered.

“Say, Dave Porter, are you coming out or not?” demanded the voice of the person in the corridor.

“Is that you, Nick Jasniff?” asked our hero quickly, for he was quite sure that he recognized the voice.

287“Who told you I was Nick Jasniff?” grumbled the fellow outside.

“Never mind that now, Jasniff. What do you want?”

“You are making a mistake about me, Dave Porter. I want you to come outside so I can talk to you.”

“Is the door unlocked?”

“It is. But don’t you try any funny work, because we are well armed, and we don’t intend to take any chances so far as you and Roger Morr are concerned.”

With caution Dave opened the door several inches, and peered out into the corridor. He saw the disguised person he suspected of being Nick Jasniff standing there, and behind him were several others, evidently gypsies.

“This is a fine piece of business for you to be in, Jasniff,” he said sharply. For a close look at the face in front of him had convinced him that the rascal was really the fellow who had escaped from prison.

“Humph, you needn’t preach to me, Dave Porter! I guess I’ve now got you just where I want you!” answered Nick Jasniff, seeing it would be useless to deny his identity any longer.

“That remains to be seen. Fellows like you always get to the end of their rope sooner or later.”

288“We won’t waste words on that just now, Porter. What I want to know is, did you and Morr come here alone or are there others hiding in the woods?”

“Do you think I’d be fool enough to tell you our plans?” demanded Dave.

“You’ll tell me everything, Porter, and do it pretty quick!” snarled Nick Jasniff, flying into a sudden rage. “Don’t you see that you are entirely in our hands, and that we can do as we please with all of you? Unless you tell me everything I want to know, we are coming in there and take those two girls away and leave you two fellows here, bound and gagged. Then, if nobody comes to rescue you, you can starve to death. Do you get me?”

“Oh, Dave! don’t let them do anything like that!” pleaded Jessie, who had been listening over his shoulder to what was said.

“Don’t worry about their binding and gagging us—at least not while we are armed,” put in Roger.

“See here, Jasniff, you can talk all you please, but we do not intend to let you carry out your threats,” said Dave. “Both Morr and I are well armed, and we know how to shoot. In a very short time this place will be completely surrounded and you will be made prisoners.”

“It isn’t so!” cried the former bully of Oak 289Hall; but the tone of his voice showed his uneasiness.

“It may be so!” cried one of the gypsies quickly. “Remember, Carmenaldo did not return. That looks bad.”

The gypsies began to whisper among themselves, and then one of them pulled Jasniff back.

“We had better go out again and take another look around,” he said in a hoarse whisper. “That young man may speak the truth, and we do not want to run any chances of being captured in such a game as this. If we find the woods clear, we can then come back and settle with these intruders.”

“All right, have your own way,” grumbled Jasniff. “Just the same, I think they came here alone. Didn’t I see them alone at that hotel?”

The gypsies were evidently too disturbed to argue the matter further, and they pushed forward and closed the door in Dave’s face. Then those inside the room heard the lock fastened once more and heard the gypsies tramp away and down the stairs.

“Oh, Dave, I’m so glad you didn’t get into a fight!” cried Jessie, her face showing momentary relief.

“While they are gone let us see if we can escape by way of the opening in the top of the closet,” suggested Roger.

290“Hush, not so loud!” whispered Dave. “One of the gypsies or Nick Jasniff may still be in the corridor listening.”

“I’ll tell you what let’s do,” returned the senator’s son in an equally low voice. “Let the two girls stay here and do some pretty loud talking. That will cover up any noise that we may make in the closet. Then, if there is a chance to get out, we’ll have to lay a plan as to just how to do it.”

This suggestion was carried out, and the two girls began to talk hurriedly and in a loud tone of voice close to the door leading to the corridor. In the meantime, Dave and Roger went to the closet, and both made an investigation of the ceiling. Here, as stated before, one board was loose, and they soon managed to pry up another.

“Now boost me up, Roger, and I’ll investigate further,” said our hero.

Dave presently found himself in a dark place directly under the sloping roof of the bungalow. In its highest part, the roof was but four feet from the flooring, so he had to stoop as he felt his way around. He soon came to a sort of hatchway; the cover to this he raised cautiously. Below was a vacant room which had once been used as a bed-chamber. Around the opening where Dave stood was a mass of discarded household things and several packages of magazines which had evide............