“Oh, Dave, do you think——” began Jessie in a low voice, when a look of warning from our hero stopped her.

“You can’t fool us!” cried Nick Jasniff, after a moment of silence. “Are you coming down, or shall I come up and bring you down?”

To this none of those in the tree replied. All kept silent, scarcely daring to breathe. Jessie was clinging to Dave’s arm, and Roger had a protecting hand on Laura’s shoulder. Each of the young civil engineers had his pistol ready for any emergency which might arise. They heard a movement below as if either Nick Jasniff or one of the gypsies was starting to climb the tree.

“Oh, don’t let them come up here!” whispered Laura, unable to remain silent longer.

“Yes, yes, make them stay on the ground!” breathed Jessie.

“Stop where you are!” cried Dave in stern tones. “Don’t you dare come a foot closer if you value your life.”

“Don’t you shoot me!” exclaimed Nick Jasniff.

297“Then you get back on the ground, Jasniff, just as quick as you can,” answered Roger. “We won’t stand any more of your nonsense!” and at these words Nick Jasniff lost no time in dropping out of the tree.

The gypsies and the fellow who had escaped from prison began to talk among themselves, but in such a low tone of voice that those in the tree could not make out what was being said.

“What do you suppose they’ll do next?” questioned Jessie anxiously.

“They’ll try to get us down somehow; but I’m not going,” answered Roger stubbornly.

“But they may keep us up here all night—or even longer!” returned Laura.

“Are you going to give in or not?” demanded Nick Jasniff in a loud tone of voice.

“I don’t see why we should give in,” answered Dave.

“You’ll have to do it, Porter, sooner or later. Can’t you see that we’ve got the bulge on you? If you don’t give in now, we’ll keep you up in that tree until you change your mind. The best thing you can do is to drop your pistols and give yourselves up. If you’ll do that we’ll promise to treat you well and let you go as soon as we receive that ransom we are expecting.”

“We don’t intend to give in,” answered Dave, after a few words with Roger.

298“All right then, we’ll let it go at that—for the present,” answered Nick Jasniff. “I think you’ll change your tune after you have spent a night in that tree and are good and hungry,” he added cunningly. “And let me tell you, if anybody tries to escape he’ll get shot.”

After that there was a long period of silence. Evidently some of the gypsies had moved away, but it was more than likely that the others were keeping on guard in the vicinity of the tree. What had become of Nick Jasniff those who were concealed among the branches could not surmise.

It must be confessed that Dave and those with him were in a great quandary. They did not wish to remain in the tree indefinitely, and yet to make another break for liberty might be decidedly perilous.

The best part of an hour passed, and then Dave and the others heard some of the gypsies calling to each other.

“Dobado is back, and he has news!” they heard some one cry.

“Did they find Carmenaldo?” asked another voice.

“They did not.”

“Perhaps that half-witted fool has gone back on us,” came in the voice of Nick Jasniff. “I said it wouldn’t be wise to let that fellow into the game.”

“Carmenaldo is all right. He can be trusted,” 299answered the voice of Mother Domoza. She was an aunt to the half-witted gypsy and she did not like to have any one speak ill of him.

Then began a hurried consultation among the gypsies, and the whole crowd moved down in the direction of the tree in which our friends were hiding.

“Ha, you are a pack of cowards not to get them out of the tree!” cried Mother Domoza. “Had I the strength to climb, I’d get them out single-handed.”

“We’d bring them down quick enough, were it not that they are armed,” answered Tony Bopeppo.

There was a warm discussion, the old gypsy woman urging the men to go up into the tree and bring down our hero and the others.

In the midst of the discussion Dave heard a sound which thrilled him to the heart. Far off from the direction of the main road between Frytown and Cullomburg came the honk of an automobile horn twice repeated.

“Roger, did you hear that?” he cried in a low voice. “Listen!” and a moment later the double honk was repeated.

“Why, it sounds like the horn on your auto!” exclaimed the senator’s son.

“That’s just what it is! And didn’t you hear—it sounded out twice in rapid succession? Listen! 300there it goes again! That’s the signal from my Uncle Dunston!”

“Oh, Dave! can it be Uncle Dunston?” exclaimed his sister.

“That’s just who it is!” he answered, great relief showing itself in his voice. “I’m going to answer back!” and pulling out his pistol, Dave fired two shots in the air in rapid succession.

“Hi! hi! what are you doing?” roared a voice from below. “Don’t you dare to shoot at us!”

“We are not shooting at you,” answered Dave quick-wittedly. “I am trying my pistol to see that it is in good order.”

“Huh, you’ll get no chance to use that pistol on us,” growled Nick Jasniff.

All in the tree paid but scant attention to what was said below. They were listening intently. An instant later came two more honks from the distant automobile.

“Give them two more shots, Roger!” cried our hero. “I’m going up to the top of the tree to look around,” and he began to climb with vigor.

From the top of the tree Dave could get a fairly good view of the surroundings. He soon made out the little side-road and the point where it ran into the main highway. Then he spotted an automobile containing four or five men. Another auto was on the main highway but a short distance away.

301Standing on the topmost branch of the tree and holding fast with one hand, Dave waved his cap with the other and then fired two more shots from his pistol. Those in the automobile were evidently on the alert, and a second later our hero saw that his signal had been seen. One man jumped up in the front automobile and waved his arms, and then the automobile moved forward rapidly up the little side-road.

“They have seen us, and they are coming in this direction!” cried Dave, as he lowered himself to where the others rested in the tree. “I’ll give them another signal, so that they won’t go astray,” and a few seconds later two more shots rent the air.

“Hi, you! what are you doing up there, anyway?” came uneasily from Nick Jasniff.

“An automobile is coming!” came in a yell from a distance. “An automobile with a number of men in it!”

“We’ve been betrayed!” added another of the gypsies. “We must run for it or we’ll be captured!”

“The automobile! Why can not we ride away in the automobile?” asked Mother Domoza, in sudden panic.

“We can’t use it! That other auto will block the road!” answered Nick Jasniff.

By this time a shouting was heard from the narrow 302roadway as the first automobile came closer, quickly followed by the second car.

“Hello, Uncle Dunston! is that you?” yelled Dave at the top of his lungs.

“Yes, Dave!” came the answering cry. “Where are you?”

“We are all here in a tree in the woods,” answered Roger.

“Are the girls safe?”

“Yes,” returned Dave. “Never mind us—go after those gypsies and after Nick Jasniff.”

“We’ll do that all right enough!” answered Dunston Porter.

“They are the kidnappers, don’t let them get away!” yelled Roger.

The men who had accompanied Dunston Porter needed no further urging. They knew many of the particulars concerning the case, and had been promised a large reward if they would give their aid in rounding up the kidnappers and saving the two girls. One man was a local constable, and two were detectives, while the others were men who had been picked up in the town and pressed into service because of their strength and willingness to fight. The whole crowd leaped from the automobiles and lost no time in giving chase to the fleeing criminals.

“I’m going to join in this hunt, Roger!” exclaimed Da............