Escape!

The boys felt cramped and awkward in their sprawling positions. The bonds cut into their wrists and ankles. Each one worked to release his hands, but the task was difficult. But even if they did untie themselves, what could they do? Pete, the gangster, sat near by with his gun in his lap. The slightest move on their part and he would shoot at them. They realized that they were in a very bad predicament.

The gangster began his preaching again. “Now if you kids had minded your own business,” he said, “as you should have, you wouldn’t get into this thing. You should have been out playing baseball or swimming instead of snooping around. And what do you get for it? I don’t know what the boss is going to do to you. He may even dump you and that’ll be too bad because you’re still kids.” He shook his head in dismay. “You should have minded your own business.”

He put away his knife and leaned back in his chair. Taking the handle of his gun in his hand, he glanced at the boys who seemed to be pretty safely tied up, and then he closed his eyes.

Waiting a few minutes, the boys continued working on their bonds. Soon Pete began to snore.[173] Now, if he only slept soundly for a short while so that they could work undisturbed! But the effort to free their hands was a very tiring process and in ten minutes they had not accomplished anything. Paul thought of a method. Noiselessly he began to edge up to his friend. Pete moved and the boys ceased their activity. He slept on, and Paul finally managed to creep up to Jack. Placing themselves back to back, Paul began to work on his friend’s bonds.

In the meanwhile, a shadow appeared at the other end of the cellar which seemed to have descended the stairs through the trap door. He was so noiseless that even the boys did not hear his footsteps. He crept forward like a cat, a veritable shadow. Nearer and nearer he came to the sleeping form of the gangster.

Paul decided to rest his fingers for a moment and to look up at Pete to see if the gangster was still sound asleep. Doing so, he noticed the approaching form. His heart sank. Nudging his friend, Jack also looked up and together they watched the approaching form. What was he up to? Was he friend or foe? The man put a finger to his lips and motioned to the boys to keep utter quiet. It mystified them. Was he after all a friend? And all the while they had taken him for a foe.

The boys flushed with excitement and followed every stealthy move of Mr. Grey, for it was he. When he was within about a yard of Pete, he[174] threw himself upon the gangster. The gun clattered to the ground. The gangster uttered a shriek, but the next moment his face was buried into the floor and his hands were being tied in the back with rope that Mr. Grey took out of his pocket. Following that, Pete’s feet were tied. The gangster tried to turn to see who his assailant was but Mr. Grey kept his face turned toward the floor. Then Mr. Grey gagged and blindfolded the gangster and left him lying in a heap where he was.

The boys were breathless; they couldn’t imagine what the man was up to. With one bound he was at their side and untying their bonds. “It’s a lucky thing I got here in time,” he muttered.

He helped them to their feet and motioned for them to follow him. He ran up the stairs and through the trap door. “Now run for your lives,” he told them.

The boys hesitated. Paul said, “We want to thank you for saving our lives and—”

The man cut him short with a wave of his hand. “No time to lose,” he whispered rapidly. “Go.”

“Who are you?” asked Jack.

The man shook his head and pushed them through the door. “Go,” he commanded them for a second time.

The boys went out of the house and signalled to Ken to follow them. But he needed no signal. He was on the alert, waiting for............