the Shadow 
 
 Peril 
 
 sonWade
 
 S. EDWIN CORLE, JR. 
 
 HIS BOOK
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES 
 
 IN MEMORY OF 
 EDWIN CORLE 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 JEAN CORLE

 
 In the Shadow of 
 Great Peril
 
 Horace Atkisson Wade America's Youngest Author
 
 In the Shadow of 
 Great Peril 
 
 By 
 
 Horace Atkisson Wade 
 
 Preface by 
 
 George Ade 
 
 The Reilly & Lee Co, 
 Chicago
 
 Copyright, 1920 
 
 By 
 The Reilly & Lee Co. 
 
 All Rights Reserved 
 
 Made in U. 8. A. 
 
 Published February 5, 1920 
 Second Printing 
 
 In The Shadow of Great Peril
 
 -
 
 UPON MEETING YOUNG 
 ME. WADE 
 
 IN the first place, there must be no ponderous 
 unbending to our fellow-craftsman, merely 
 because he is eleven years of age instead of being 
 on a diet. Furthermore, there should be no 
 apology for that southern manner of hospitality 
 which sends one down the roadway to meet an 
 author before he has arrived. 
 
 One style of preface is bumptious and con- 
 descending in that it unveils to the reader certain 
 merits of the book which he, presumably, never 
 would have discovered for himself. The purpose 
 of this introduction is not to explain or defend 
 a new author. He comes into our midst abruptly, 
 but with all the delightful poise of the most recent 
 model of Young America. He wears a football 
 suit and needs no elderly protectors. He is an 
 author because he chooses to be one. 
 
 Evidently he has weighed all the advantages 
 and disadvantages of the literary career and 
 come to an irrevocable decision. The fact of his 
 consecration is made evident because he con-
 
 eludes Volume No. 1 with a very definite promise 
 of Volume No. 2, including the title which 
 shows the sort of determination before which even 
 publishers must yield. 
 
 Without trespassing upon the privileges of 
 Andrew Lang, may not the writer observe that 
 one of the glaring virtues of the succeeding nar- 
 rative is the entire absence of what Mr. Howells 
 would term "Hollo stuff." There could be noth- 
 ing more un-Rollo. Master Wade's lads wear 
 freckles and aim straight for the jaw with every 
 punch. They speak the vernacular. They are 
 fibrous, so to speak heroic without being mushy. 
 
 They are young persons devoted to action 
 rather than moody self-analysis. They do not 
 sit around a tea-urn and discuss topics which are 
 remote from their mentalities. Their adventures 
 are not held up by descriptions of weather and 
 scenery. 
 
 They seek the strenuous days and ha-ha at 
 danger calm in the presence of their perse- 
 cutors; modest in victory. They are fond of 
 food and fighting quite Anglo-Saxon, one 
 might say. Regular fellows!
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 Chapter Page 
 
 I AT BLACKWELL HALL 11 
 
 II THE BULLY DISAPPEAKS 19 
 
 III STARTLING NEWS 28 
 
 IV LIFE OR DEATH 1 36 
 
 V THE MYSTERIOUS KNOCK 44 
 
 VI UNWELCOME VISITORS 54 
 
 VII LOST IN THE BLIZZARD 61 
 
 VIII THE TABLES TURNED 67 
 
 IX HELD FOR RANSOM 75 
 
 X THE OUTLAWS BALKED 82 
 
 XI A NARROW ESCAPE 89 
 
 XII OUTWITTING A BOBBER 95 
 
 XIII A DARING ESCAPE 103 
 
 XIV A MYSTERIOUS LETTER 110 
 
 XV THE RIDDLE OF THE BOATHOUSE 118 
 
 XVI OFF FOR NEW YORK 128 
 
 XVII A DARING RESCUE. 135 
 
 XVIII AN INTERESTING ADVENTURE 144 
 
 XIX THE CAPTURE OF MR. HARDING 150 
 
 XX A HAPPY REUNION 156 
 
 XXI THE DOCUMENT RECOVERED 162 
 
 XXII CONCLUSION . ... 168
 
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 Photograph of a Page of the Author's Manuscript
 
 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 AT BLACKWELL HALL 
 
 "Blackwell! Blackwell! Blackwell! Blackwell 
 Hall!" A jolly crowd of boys were coming down 
 the road in a coach shouting this cry. They were 
 just returning from the last game of football of 
 the season and had won by a score of six to two, 
 giving them a grand total of six victories and 
 two defeats. 
 
 "Dick," asked Robert Morris, one of the boys, 
 "I hope we win the cup again this year as easily 
 as we did last time." 
 
 "So do I," agreed Richard Coleman; "are you 
 going to try for the baseball team next year?" 
 
 "Yes, I am going to try for pitcher on the 
 nine," replied Bob. "And I am going to play 
 second base," said Dick. 
 
 "Oh, listen to the darling little boys talking 
 
 11
 
 12 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 about baseball already," sneered Sam Harding, 
 "I don't believe they could catch a ball if they 
 had to." 
 
 Dick half rose from his seat, an angry flush 
 mounting his cheeks. 
 
 ''Sit down Dick," cautioned Bob, "don't you 
 care what he says." 
 
 Dick was persuaded to sit down, and then there 
 came a flash of silence. During this time I will 
 tell you something about Dick Coleman's and Bob 
 Morns' history. They both lived in the small 
 town of Spencerville, New York. Bob's father 
 and mother were living, while Dick's parents had 
 died when he was only a few years old. Mr. 
 Morris had taken care of him and had developed 
 them both into strong, healthy boys. Dick was 
 fifteen years old ; he had black hair and blue eyes. 
 He was of the average height and weighed 117 
 pounds. Bob Morris was of the same age as Dick 
 and had brown eyes and black hair; was of aver- 
 age height and weighed 120 pounds. 
 
 Let us now return to our story. 
 
 "There's Blackwell," called Charles Darwin, 
 who was otherwise known as "Chuck." 
 
 The boys were soon driving into the yard and
 
 At Blackwell Hall 13 
 
 / 
 
 were out of the coach before it had stopped. In 
 ten minutes all the boys were in their rooms, and 
 as Dick and Bob entered theirs, Dick turned on 
 Bob and asked angrily, ''Why didn't you let me 
 pummel Sam? I am not going to stand there 
 and be insulted." 
 
 "I don't want you to be insulted," was the 
 reply from Bob, "but he just wants to get you 
 into trouble, and then he can tell a false story 
 about the fight. I heard him talking to someone 
 and I heard that." 
 
 "I wonder why Sam wants to get me into 
 trouble," murmured Dick, "I don't know of 
 anything I ever did to him." 
 
 "Well," answered Bob, "ever since you 
 stopped him from bullying that little chap he has 
 had it in for you. ' ' 
 
 "I wouldn't stay there and see that little fel- 
 low bullied," flared up Dick, hotly, "and no one 
 with any honor in him would." 
 
 "And I'll agree with you at that," said Bob. 
 
 "Yes, but there goes the dinner bell," retorted 
 Dick, "and I'm as hungry as a wolf." 
 
 "I have no doubt about that," laughed Bab, 
 "we're always hungry."
 
 14 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 They went down stairs where there was a large 
 table and sat down at their places. They ate 
 everything that was set before them, which is 
 customary with boys. In twenty minutes they 
 were through, and as they were rising to leave 
 the table Mr. Sumter, the captain of the Academy, 
 motioned them to sit down, and then clearing his 
 throat he said pleasantly: "Boys, I have some 
 good news for you. In this football season you 
 have won the silver cup by beating Warwick Hall 
 by a score of seventeen points. " 
 i He sat down with a smile, and then there came 
 a loud outburst of noise. 
 
 "Boys, boys," called Mrs. Carey, the cook of 
 the Academy, "go outside with your noise or you 
 will have the roof tumbling over our ears." 
 
 The boys went out into the open and then 
 Chuck announced joyfully, "Just think! That 
 makes the third time we have had the cup, one 
 year after another." 
 
 They all stayed out for a half hour and then 
 they went in to study. They were too restless 
 to study much, and Mr. Sumter smiled to himself 
 and then said, "I see that you are too restless 
 to work so 1*11 leave you off this evening."
 
 At Blackwell Hall 15 
 
 / 
 
 They all put aside their books with a sigh of 
 relief. They went back into the school yard and 
 stayed there until seven o'clock. The group 
 started to dwindle, and then Bob and Dick went 
 up to their room. They read books for awhile, 
 and then Bob yawned and said, "Good night, 
 Dick, I am going to turn in." 
 
 "I've just been waiting for you to say that," 
 smiled Dick in return. 
 
 The two boys undressed rapidly and hopped 
 into bed. In a few more minutes they were sound 
 to sleep, and slept soundly all the night. They 
 awoke early next morning and were soon dressed. 
 
 44 Someone is out before us," said Dick, as he 
 looked out of the window, "I'll bet I could guess 
 who it is?" 
 
 "Who!" queried Bob, with a grin, as he sat 
 down in a chair, which was beside the window. 
 
 "It is Sandy, Chuck and Fred," guessed Dick. 
 
 "Righto," laughed Bob, springing up. 
 
 Dick's answer was a laugh, and then after see- 
 ing that it lacked a half hour from breakfast they 
 trooped downstairs and ran out into the yard. 
 They saw the boys looking into the sky and they 
 also glanced upwards and saw masses of black
 
 16 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 clouds scurrying overhead. Just then their 
 chums turned around and noticed Bob and Dick. 
 They hurried over to them, and Chuck burst out : 
 "Do you see all the dark clouds? That means 
 snow or I'm not living." 
 
 "How do yon know!" asked Bob, with a sur- 
 prised glance at Chuck's face to see whether he 
 was joking or not. 
 
 "My father told me how to tell about the 
 clouds before we came here," answered Chuck. 
 
 Dick to show his joy turned some handsprings 
 but ended by sprawling on the ground. Suddenly 
 the sun was blotted out by a cloud, and then a 
 few flakes of snow fell. It was soon falling in 
 earnest, and then Sandy remarked, "My but I 
 hope this keeps up all day." But he was destined 
 to disappointment, for in barely ten minutes the 
 sun was shining brighter than ever as though to 
 make up for lost time, and the snow soon dis- 
 appeared, but not before Dick had had his face 
 washed. Just then an appetizing odor of coffee 
 and pancakes came out to them and they hurried 
 in to eat. The boys were through in twenty 
 minutes, and after that as they were just about 
 to rise from the table, Mr. Sumter, the captain
 
 At Blackwell Hall 17 
 
 of the Academy, rose from his place and said: 
 
 "Boys, I'm called away for the day, and while 
 I'm gone I will give you a holiday." He sat 
 down with a smile. 
 
 A buzz of excitement ran around the table, but 
 they soon rose and walked out to the yard, and 
 Sam Harding said to Chuck: 
 
 "I don't see why Mr. Sumter has to go and 
 leave the Academy for." 
 
 "Oh, think about something cheerful for once 
 in your life," grinned Chuck. 
 
 Just then Bob and Dick were seen advancing 
 and Sam turned on his heel and walked off. 
 
 "He's a sorehead," grimaced Chuck as they 
 came up to him; and after the three chums had 
 talked with each other a few moments he left also. 
 
 "Let's have a game of football," said Bob, as 
 he displayed a football which belonged to him. 
 
 The two boys went into an open place and 
 proceeded to kick the ball to each other. About 
 in the middle of their fun Sam came up, and as 
 the ball by mistake came over to him he grabbed 
 it. "Kick the football here," said Dick, in a 
 pleasant tone. 
 
 "Come and get it," replied Sam, with a sneer-
 
 18 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ing smile creeping over his face. Dick advanced, 
 but as he came near, Sam kicked the ball far 
 down the field. 
 
 "What did you do that for?" asked Dick, as 
 an angry flash came into his eyes. 
 
 "I'm not a slave, and I wasn't going to throw 
 it to you," sneered Sam, as he started off. 
 
 Dick came in front of Sam and wheeling him 
 around said in a crisp, clear tone, "Go get that 
 ball." 
 
 "I won't," said Sam, and his face grew as 
 dark as a thunder cloud. 
 
 "Then I'll make you," replied Dick, quietly. 
 
 "Come and do it," sneered Sam, as he threw 
 off his coat. 
 
 "Dick," said Bob, as he came up, "Don't fight 
 Sam, come on with me," and he tugged at Dick's 
 arm. 
 
 "Leave go, Bob," ordered Dick, "I'll show 
 this fellow that he isn't the only one about this 
 Academy. ' ' 
 
 "Fellow," said Sam, glaring at Dick with 
 hatred, "I'll show you how to call me 'fellow'," 
 and his right arm shot out, hitting Dick square 
 in the mouth.
 
 When Sam hit Dick in the mouth he expected 
 to have Dick off his guard, but as his next blow 
 was about to fall on Dick's head, Dick put up his 
 guard and with his right arm jabbed Sam in the 
 eye. Sam was frenzied to a white heat and he 
 rushed madly into the fight. All Dick did for 
 awhile was to stop the hurricane of blows that 
 fell upon him. As he saw a break in Sam's 
 guard he let both his arms fly out. One arm hit 
 Sam again in the eye, half closing it, and the 
 other connected with Sam's jaw, felling him to 
 the ground. Sam would have had to give up 
 right then had not Mr. Sumter come around the 
 corner. 
 
 " Stand up," he ordered Sam, as his face grew 
 gray, for fighting was not to be tolerated, and 
 might end in a month's expulsion from the 
 Academy. Sam came to his feet and Dick and 
 him stood stiffly before Mr. Sumter. 
 
 19
 
 20 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Who started this?" asked the captain of the 
 Academy. 
 
 "Dick did." 
 
 "Sam did." 
 
 was the reply from the two boys. Mr. Sumter 
 smiled to himself and then thought, "There's no 
 need of asking who won. Sam's face tells." 
 "Boys," continued the captain, "I'll give you 
 till tomorrow morning to own up," and turning 
 on his heel he left the two. 
 
 "So you have to lie to get out of it," sneered 
 Dick, in disgust, as he turned toward Sam, only 
 to find that that individual had walked off. 
 
 Dick walked over to Bob who was eying Sam 
 in disgust. 
 
 "My, but he's a skunk," he declared, as Sam 
 turned the corner of the Academy and disap- 
 peared. Dick, with a sad smile said, "I guess 
 all that can happen is that I'll be expelled." 
 
 "Not if I can help it," vowed Bob angrily. 
 
 The two boys went after the ball and then 
 brought it into the Academy. As they came out 
 they met Chuck and Sandy. 
 
 "Hello Bob, hello Dick," they called, but on 
 seeing the sad faces of both, they asked :
 
 The Bully Disappears 21 
 
 "What's the matter with you, you look as glum 
 as oysters?" 
 
 The story was soon told and Chuck's voice 
 snorted his disgust. At last Chuck said: 
 
 "If they lose you from the Academy they will 
 be losing a good cadet." 
 
 The boys strolled around the yard ror three- 
 quarters of an hour. After this Dick and Bob 
 went up to their room, but in half an hour came 
 down again and were met by Chuck, who said: 
 "I've been home and my mother said she wanted 
 you to come down and eat lunch with us." Bob 
 and Dick accepted and they started for Chuck's 
 home. As they were going out of the grounds 
 Chuck stopped short in his tracks and then said 
 to the boys, "You wait here, I am going back 
 and bring Fred and Sandy with me. ' ' He turned 
 back and went up to Fred's room. He softly 
 opened the door and looked in but did not find 
 anybody. As he turned to go out he heard a soft 
 pit-a-pat on the stairs. 
 
 "That must be Fred," thought Chuck, "but 
 I don't see why he has to walk so softly. I'll 
 just stay here and watch, ' ' and going into Fred 's 
 room he peeked out into the hall. As he looked
 
 22 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 lie saw Sam come creeping stealthily along. 
 There was something in his hand which he 
 clutched tightly. As Sam came by Chuck, he 
 saw what it was. It was Mr. Sumter's valuable 
 diamond pin. "I wonder how he got that?" 
 gasped Chuck, and his breath was nearly taken 
 away. He watched Sam with renewed interest. 
 He saw him go up to Dick's room, and after 
 making sure that no one was inside, he softly 
 opened the door. Chuck stole up behind him, 
 and soon Sam came out again and gazed nerv- 
 ously on all sides. Chuck had just enough time 
 to burst into another room that was near by. 
 Then Sam went down the aisle. 
 
 ''What's the matter, Chuck?" asked a merry 
 voice behind him, making that distinguished in- 
 dividual wheel around swiftly. 
 
 "Hello Sandy," grinned Chuck sheepishly. 
 
 "What's the big idea of all this?" asked 
 Sandy, gazing curiously at Chuck, as though 
 thinking he had gone out of his head. Chuck 
 drew a chair up beside Sandy and told all he 
 had seen. He finished off with, "I thought for 
 a moment Sam had left the diamond pin on 
 Dick's dresser, but I don't think he'd do that."
 
 The Bully Disappears 23 
 
 i 
 
 "That remains to be seen and anyhow where 
 did Sam get the pin?" and Sandy gazed triumph- 
 antly up at Chuck. 
 
 The two boys went up to Dick's room and 
 opened the door. After a short search, Sandy 
 opened a drawer in the dresser, and gave a 
 surprised cry. Chuck hurried up to him and 
 looking into the drawer also gave a cry of 
 exultation. For lying in the drawer was Mr. 
 Sumter's diamond pin. 
 
 "Sam put that there beyond a doubt," ex- 
 claimed Chuck. "I didn't think he would be as 
 mean to do that, but he has only gotten himself 
 into hot water. My but that fellow has a yellow 
 streak through him." 
 
 They went down stairs and ran into the kitchen. 
 Here they met Mrs. Carey, the cook. 
 
 "Have you seen Mr. Sumter yet?" they asked 
 politely. 
 
 "No, but I got a phone call from him. He is 
 at his home in Glenwood now. ' ' 
 
 The two boys walked out despondently. Out- 
 side they found Fred, and all three started to 
 where they had left Bob and Dick. As they 
 came near they saw them walking down the road
 
 24 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 kicking up the dust before them. As they turned 
 around and saw the group they stopped and waited 
 for them. 
 
 "Gee, I thought you'd never come," said Bob. 
 
 As they walked on Sandy pulled out his hand- 
 kerchief, and in doing so the pin fell out also. 
 
 "You lost something, Sandy," said Dick, who 
 had picked the pin up, and then with a startled 
 exclamation he asked, "Where in the world did 
 you get this?" 
 
 Sandy, on seeing the pin, called Dick to him and 
 conversed softly for a few moments. Dick's face 
 grew vivid with astonishment. As Sandy stopped 
 he stared fixedly at his face, then he hurried up 
 to the boys and told them all about it. 
 
 "I didn't think that Sam would do that," said 
 Bob in intense disgust. 
 
 As they stood there, Sandy gave a cry and said, 
 "Dick, I meant to tell you before, but I saw the 
 fight, and if you need me I will testify in your 
 behalf." 
 
 Soon after this they all went along with lighter 
 hearts. In a little while they reached Chuck's 
 house and were welcomed by a motherly looking 
 lady. She embraced each of them, and gave Chuck
 
 The Bully Disappears 25 
 
 a big hearty kiss. The boys sat down in the parlor 
 while Mrs. Darwin bustled around to get dinner 
 ready. As the odor of ham and eggs was wafted 
 out to them they could hardly restrain themselves 
 from rushing into the kitchen to watch the meal 
 being fixed. In half an hour Mrs. Darwin ap- 
 peared at the door, which divided the parlor from 
 the dining room, and with a smile she informed 
 them that dinner was ready. A short while later 
 they were all sitting down to a delightful repast. 
 
 ''Now/' asked Mrs. Darwin, " which one of you 
 had a fight with Sam Harding?" 
 
 ' * It was Dick, ' ' chorused all the boys. Dick was 
 made to rise, and when he did he stammered out, 
 ''Where how did you know I had a fight?" 
 
 ' ' Chuck told me, ' ' she smiled. 
 
 Chuck then told his mother what had happened 
 during the morning. As he did so they showed 
 her the pin. 
 
 "He must be a bad boy," she said, "and I want 
 you to keep away from him." 
 
 "We don't go round much with him," said 
 Chuck, as he smiled at the surprised look that was 
 on his mother's face, "but what shall we do with 
 this pin?"
 
 26 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "As soon as dinner is over, you ge straight to 
 Glenwood and give that pin to Mr. Sumter," was 
 the decided answer. 
 
 Soon after this the boys started to the railroad 
 station and bought their tickets. They paced up 
 and down the platform in thejr restlessness, and 
 what added more to this was because the train 
 was half an hour late. As the train stopped at 
 the station the boys hopped on. They spent a 
 restless hour, for this was the time it took to get 
 to Glenwood. As the train came into the station 
 they were the first out. With all the speed they 
 could summon they ran to the captain's home. 
 As they came panting into the front yard Mr. 
 Sumter met them. He led them inside and they 
 dropped down in chairs until they could get their 
 breath again. In a few minutes they brought out 
 the pin and showed it to him. "So you stole the 
 diamond pin and didn't have nerve enough to 
 keep it, eh?" said Mr. Sumter sternly. An angry 
 flush came to their cheeks. 
 
 "No, sir, that's not true," answered Bob, and 
 here they told their story. Mr. Sumter stroked 
 his chin for a moment and then said, "I believe 
 you. Wait here for a moment, and I'll go back to
 
 The Bully Disappears 27 
 
 the Hall with you." He went out of the room, 
 but soon came back with his coat and hat. They 
 went to the station and just managed to get the 
 train that they were to take for home. 
 
 In an hour they arrived at the Hall. They all 
 went into Mr. Sumter's private office, and Mrs. 
 Carey said that Sam was not feeling well and had 
 gone to his room. He was summoned and came 
 down stairs with a pale face and shaking voice. 
 As he saw the boys his face turned ashen. He was 
 questioned until he could stand it no longer and 
 made a clean confession. He was given back his 
 money and told to leave the school immediately. 
 
 As he started to go out his face whitened with 
 rage, and turning upon Dick he said angrily, " You 
 brought this on me, you confounded coyote, and 
 I will get even with you," and with these threat- 
 ening words he strolled out of the room with broad 
 steps. The boys soon followed him, and as he 
 went out they breathed a sigh of relief. 
 
 "We are through with him now," said Bob, but 
 they were not by a long shot, for just as he had 
 finished speaking a pistol rang out, Fred dropped 
 to the ground, and a dark figure leaped over the 
 wall!
 
 CHAPTER III 
 STAKTLING NEWS 
 
 The attack on them was so sudden that they 
 were speechless for a moment, but as they saw 
 the figure leap over the wall they awoke to their 
 senses and darted off, leaving Sandy to take care 
 of Fred. They made out a figure in front of them 
 and started after him. 
 
 "He's going for the woods," said Dick; "get 
 him before he gets there." The boys crawled up 
 foot by foot, and were soon in speaking distance 
 of the figure. 
 
 "Stop or we will get you," cried Bob as he 
 gave a spurt. The figure turned and waved his 
 fist at the boys and set off faster than ever. ' ' That 
 was Sam," blurted Bob; "we've got to get him." 
 
 The woods were near now and Sam gave a final 
 spurt and reached them a good ten yards ahead 
 of the boys. He turned around and gave one 
 more mocking grimace and then burst into the 
 woods. When the boys came they also burst into 
 
 28
 
 Startling News 29 
 
 them, but after fifteen minutes gave it up in de- 
 spair and started for the Hall despondently. 
 
 As they were passing a tree something hit Dick 
 in the back of the head. Dick glanced upward and 
 looked all around and then his eye was attracted 
 by a wad of paper. He pounced upon it as a cat 
 pounces upon a mouse. He hastily unrolled it 
 and read: "Don't try to find me or you'll get 
 hurt. I have others to help me." 
 
 Dick showed it to the boys and they looked all 
 around for a trace of Sam, but could find none, 
 and once more started off for the Hall. As they 
 entered the captain's office, he saw their crest- 
 fallen faces and knew that Sam was not found. 
 After the story had been told to him, the boys 
 then asked how Fred was. 
 
 "He's all right," was the cheerful answer; "he 
 was only hurt in the leg. He'll be all right in a 
 week or so." 
 
 After this Bob gave a sour grimace and said, 
 "I wouldn't care about Sam escaping, only that 
 we might have passed right under the tree where 
 he was perched." 
 
 "In his note he says that he has someone to 
 help him so force against force we'll be ready
 
 30 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 to help you whenever you need it," said Chuck, 
 and a nod of approval came from the boys. 
 
 Fred had now opened his eyes and stared 
 around him. They turned their attention to him, 
 and Dick came awkwardly forward and said, 
 "I'm the cause of this. That bullet was meant 
 for me, and I am very sorry that you are the one 
 that's hurt." 
 
 "Oh, bosh," smiled Fred, as he gave a twitch of 
 pain, "you must be sick to talk that way." 
 
 They helped Fred up the stairs and brought him 
 to his room, where they stayed all through the 
 rest of the afternoon. As the dinner-bell rang 
 they helped Fred down the stairs. He was the 
 center of curiosity, and it was plain to see that 
 they knew about the adventure of the afternoon. 
 They crowded about him and made him tell the 
 story again and again. 
 
 George Redney of all the cadets was the only 
 one who scrowled at the boys. He edged up to 
 one of the boys that was listening and said, "I 
 suppose that they'll think they are the whole 
 cheese now." 
 
 "You wouldn't dare to say that before them," 
 said the boy, as he turned coldly upon George.
 
 Startling News 31 
 
 "They're all fools, all of them," sneered George. 
 
 They all sat down at the table now, and in half 
 an hour George Redney stole out of the room. 
 When he had gotten out into the hall he felt in 
 his pocket and brought out a piece of paper which 
 had hand-prints all over it. It read, ' ' I will meet 
 you at the old wall. We '11 get even with the whole 
 bunch. Sam." 
 
 "I'll get even with them all, I will," vowed 
 George angrily. 
 
 He went up to his room and put all his things 
 in a valise and then softly crept downstairs. Just 
 as he came down, Sandy came into the hall. 
 
 "Hello, George, where are you going?" he 
 asked in a puzzled tone. 1 
 
 "No place that concerns you," said George 
 angrily, and scrowled darkly at being seen. He 
 walked out, and Sandy scratched his head and 
 thought deeply. 
 
 "I wonder where he is going," thought Sandy. 
 " I 'm going to follow him. ' ' 
 
 He stole out after George, and after he had 
 gotten a reasonable distance to the back of him, 
 he took up the task of following George. He saw 
 him go up to the wall and heard him give a peculiar
 
 32 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 whistle. Scarcely had he finished when Sam came 
 from the other side of the wall and they conversed 
 together for a moment. Then shaking their fists 
 at the Academy they locked arms and walked on. 
 
 * ' They are up to mischief, ' ' thought Sandy. ' * I 
 wish I had the boys with me, but if I turn back 
 now they'll get away." 
 
 After following them far away they plunged 
 into the woods. Sandy could get closer now with- 
 out being seen, and so he came up as near as he 
 dared. After a walk of nearly forty-five minutes 
 they came into a small clearing. A tent stood in 
 the middle of it, and in the darkened entrance of 
 it a fire could be seen. 
 
 ' ' So this is their hiding place, ' ' grinned Sandy, 
 as he got behind some brush, so he could not be 
 seen. "Well, it won't be soon, if I can help it. ' ' 
 
 Just as he had gotten comfortably fixed, the 
 same peculiar whistle that George had used came 
 from the woods. 
 
 "Here comes Dad, Ted and Bill now," said 
 Sam, as he answered them with a whistle. In a 
 couple of moments two big, burly men broke into 
 the clearing. 
 
 The man Sam had called Bill did not appear.
 
 Startling News 33 
 
 "When do we start to get even with those 
 kids!" asked Ted Brown, one of the men. 
 
 "We'll get even with them, don't fear," 
 growled George. ' * We '11 show them who 's who. ' ' 
 
 "So Sam has to get a crowd to help him," said 
 Sandy to himself, "but we'll be ready for them 
 we'll be ready," and he gave a silent snort of 
 disgust. 
 
 "Where's Bill?" asked Sam, as he gazed at the 
 two men. 
 
 "Oh, hang that fool," swore Ted; "he wouldn't 
 take the money we offered him. He said it wasn't 
 enough, but we can get along without him." 
 
 They talked in light tones for a moment, and 
 Sandy leaned forward to hear what they were 
 saying. But it was a fatal move for our hero, 
 for his foot stepped on a twig and his red hair 
 bobbed up and down and Sam saw it. He whis- 
 pered softly to George and walked into the woods. 
 Sandy had lain still for awhile, but thinking that 
 he was not discovered he looked at the camp again. 
 George was sitting near the fire with apparently 
 an unsuspecting look on his face. In a few min- 
 utes Sandy heard a light tramping behind him, 
 and turning around swiftly he saw Sam advancing
 
 34 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 cautiously. As Sam saw that he was discovered, 
 he gave a whistle and leaped forward upon Sandy. 
 George sprang up and dashed into the under- 
 growth. The two boys finally got Sandy down on 
 his face, but not before a long tussle. George 
 whipped out a rope and quickly tied Sandy's 
 hands behind him. Forcing him to his feet they 
 marched him into camp. The two men jumped 
 to their feet and looked at Sandy, and then at Sam 
 for explanations. 
 
 "This is one of those boys," said Sam, and he 
 gave Sandy a push that sent him forward on his 
 face, while the men laughed harshly. 
 
 "Maybe we'll get something from him/' bit- 
 terly laughed Sam's father, as he picked Sandy 
 up and stood him on his feet. For one moment 
 Sandy thought of flight and gazed anxiously about 
 him, but then with a sinking of his heart he real- 
 ized that his hands were tied behind him, and that 
 his enemies blockaded him on all sides. Sam 
 noticed Sandy's anxious glances, and with a sneer 
 said, "You won't get away from here in a hurry; 
 we'll show you." 
 
 They cut Sandy's bonds and grimly ordered him 
 to follow them.
 
 Startling News 35 
 
 This he did, and followed them for a couple of 
 miles. Then they came into another clearing 
 where a log cabin stood. 
 
 They bound Sandy hand and foot and brought 
 him into the cabin and laid him on the floor. After 
 this they went out, leaving Sandy in the shanty. 
 
 "He's all right. Now for the others," said 
 Sam's father, as he lighted a cigarette and care- 
 lessly threw the match away. They then plunged 
 into the woods, and soon left the clearing behind 
 them. 
 
 After Sandy had been in awhile the smell of 
 smoke came to him. After a few moments the 
 smoke increased in volume and then Sandy 
 thought, "Could they have been such villians to 
 burn the hut with me in it?" and his face paled. 
 Soon his thought came true, for Sandy saw a 
 menacing flame. For the match that Sam's father 
 had thrown away had fallen in a pile of rubbish 
 and the shanty was on fire with Sandy inside of it !
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 LIFE OR DEATH? 
 
 We will leave the boy in the burning shanty for 
 awhile and return to the Hall. 
 
 * * Sandy had better be hurrying back, ' ' suggested 
 Bob, "or he'll never get here in time for study. 
 He promised me that he would be back in a few 
 minutes." 
 
 The minutes dragged on and the boys could 
 stand the suspense no longer. They hurried up 
 to the top of the steps and waited there a little 
 while. After this they went up to Sandy's room 
 and gazed in. What was their astonishment to 
 find no one there. 
 
 "Oh, well, he'll be here with us in time," said 
 Dick cheerfully, and they once more started down 
 stairs. When the study period came neither 
 Sandy or George were there. After Mr. David- 
 son, the professor, had waited patiently for them 
 to come, he ordered two of the boys to go up and 
 get them. In a couple of minutes they returned 
 
 36
 
 Life or Death? 37 
 
 and said they were not there. All the boys scat- 
 tered around the Academy hunting for them, and 
 when they once more assembled, with the informa- 
 tion that they could not find them, this put a dif- 
 ferent light on the matter. 
 
 "Boys, I want you to organize a searching party 
 and find Sandy and George," said Mr. Davidson. 
 
 There was a buzz of excitement as they got their 
 ballots ready, and when the results were an- 
 nounced it was found that all of our friends were 
 to go. When they left, Mr. Davidson gave each a 
 friendly slap on the shoulder and said kindly, 
 "I'm trusting you to find your companions, and 
 I hope that no evil has befallen them." 
 
 "So do we," echoed the boys, as they plunged 
 boldly into the darkness. 
 
 Bob took out a box of matches and lit one. He 
 searched around on the ground and suddenly gave 
 a cry of exultation, and as they were all peering 
 down at the ground the match flickered out. They 
 scratched another and the boys saw some foot- 
 prints. 
 
 "Those are Sandy's and here's George's," 
 said Bob, pointing to them. 
 
 "Yes, you're right," said Dick, as he looked
 
 38 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 closely at the footprints. Just then the match gave 
 a final spurt and went out. 
 
 "We'll need torches if we want t do this kind 
 of work," said Bob, as he struck another match. 
 They found for themselves pieces of wood and 
 plastered them over with tar. These they lighted, 
 and they flared up redly in the night. 
 
 They followed the footprints until they came to 
 the woods, and now they followed the trail by 
 brush that was broken. After a long while they 
 came into the clearing where Sandy had been cap- 
 tured. 
 
 "Someone has been here, and not so long ago 
 either," said Chuck, as he kicked a glowing ember 
 out of his path. 
 
 Suddenly Bob suspiciously sniffed the air. 
 
 "Can you smell the smoke?" he asked; "it 
 seems as though there's a fire round here." 
 
 "There is," yelled Dick excitedly, and following 
 his direction they looked into the sky. The fire 
 cast a red glow against the horizon, and so could 
 be seen easily. 
 
 They ran on towards the glow, and as they ran 
 it got more vivid. Suddenly after nearly half an 
 hour's run they came into the clearing where the
 
 Life or Death? 39 
 
 burning shanty stood. As they looked at it they 
 heard a moan from the inside. 
 
 "Did you hear that," asked Chuck, startled, as 
 he looked at the boys. Again came a low moan. 
 
 "That's Sandy's voice," said Dick with shaking 
 tones. 
 
 "And he's in the burning shanty," finished Bob 
 as his face blanched. 
 
 Just then they glanced at Dick again, and he 
 said in a trembling voice, "There's only one thing 
 to do and I'll do it." He peeled off his coat and 
 rest. 
 
 "That's suicide," yelled Chuck, as he jumped 
 forward to try and stop Dick before he took his 
 mad rush into peril, for they all knew in an instant 
 what he was going to do. He was a second too 
 late, for Dick had rushed toward the burning 
 shanty, and apparently unconscious of the danger 
 surrounding him he dashed headlong into the 
 darting flames. They lapped about him and the 
 smoke hurt his eyes, but he kept on his perilous 
 attempt at rescue. 
 
 His strength was fast ebbing out and he called 
 faintly, "Sandy, where are you?" He heard a 
 groan oyer to his right, so he changed his course
 
 40 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 and stumbled along in that direction. Suddenly 
 he tripped and fell flat. 
 
 After a great deal of difficulty he managed to 
 rise and he bent over to see what it was that 
 tripped him. After a second, with a leaping heart, 
 he made out the figure of a boy. He tugged at it, 
 for he was sure that it was Sandy. He moved 
 Sandy a little, and then after a moment managed 
 to grab him and threw him over his back. He 
 staggered on with his heavy burden, and he grew 
 weaker each moment. 
 
 It seemed hours before he saw the light of the 
 outside, although in reality it was but a few 
 moments. With a final spurt he dashed into the 
 outside and then fainted dead away. 
 
 A few minutes later the shanty, which was now 
 a wall of living flames, sank hissing to the ground. 
 They waited for Dick to become conscious again, 
 which he did in about half an hour. His first 
 impulse was to glance at the smouldering embers, 
 and with a shudder had visions of himself and 
 Sandy lying under them. He then asked in a 
 hoarse whisper: 
 
 "Is Sandy all right?" 
 
 "He's been badly burnt, but I believe he will
 
 Life or Death ? 41 
 
 pull through," said Chuck, whose father was a 
 doctor. 
 
 After Dick had been laying still for awhile they 
 started back for the Academy. Dick protested 
 strongly against being carried, and Chuck let him 
 have his own way. A queer smile hovered about 
 his lips when Dick fell back again. 
 
 "Chuck, you'd better go back to the Academy 
 first and get a doctor," said Bob. "Get your own 
 father if you can." 
 
 Chuck dashed ahead and then Bob picked up 
 Dick and Sandy gently and all slowly followed 
 Chuck. 
 
 In nearly two hours they arrived at town and 
 were soon in the Hall. They put the boys who 
 were burnt under the doctor's care, who put 
 salve and ointment on their wounds. 
 
 The next morning Dick was able to rise and 
 move around, but was still a little stiff. During 
 the middle of the day a blizzard started and the 
 snow came down furiously. The boys ' heads were 
 jammed against the window-pane in Bob's room, 
 as they thought of the fun they would have. The 
 snow increased in fury and did not stop until late 
 that night.
 
 42 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 The next day was Saturday and Bob pulled his 
 coat farther up over his face and with a shiver 
 said, "My but it's cold I'll be frozen stiff soon." 
 
 "And I don't blame you," said Chuck, who had 
 just entered the room; "the temperature is only 
 15 above zero and steadily going down. They are 
 skating on the lake today. Mr. Sumter said he 
 went over and tested the ice." 
 
 The boys all gave a joyous yell and ran for their 
 skates. They all went downstairs, helping Sandy 
 because of his burns, and then giving a seat at 
 the window to him they dashed for the pond. A 
 little while later there were more boys *there and 
 then the fun went up to its highest height. 
 
 After nearly half an hour they all went up to 
 one end of the pond and then skated back. Sud- 
 denly the ice that Fred was crossing broke and 
 he was thrown into the icy, chilly waters. Dick, 
 who was the nearest, threw his stick in the water 
 and Fred clutched madly at it. They had all hur- 
 ried up now and in a short while Fred was out of 
 the water and lying on the ice. They rubbed his 
 body to get the circulation started while Bob and 
 Dick inspected the hole in the ice through which 
 Fred had slumped.
 
 Life or Death? 43 
 
 "You said that the ice was thick," said Bob 
 sternly, as he turned upon Chuck. 
 
 "I can't see how this ever happened," was the 
 puzzled reply from Chuck; "I was pretty sure 
 that it was thick." He looked all around the hole 
 and suddenly gave a shout. To the astonished 
 gazers he held up a knife. 
 
 "Here's the initials *S. H.' on it do you know 
 who that is?" 
 
 After a moment's speculation Chuck again said, 
 "It might be Sam Harding." 
 
 "I'll bet it is," shouted Dick, "but how did he 
 get on the ice without us seeing him?" 
 
 "He must have come on while we were at the 
 farther end of the lake," replied Bob. 
 
 "Look where it's cut, too," yelled Chuck. 
 
 Looking closely at the hole they could clearly 
 see that the ice had been cut. 
 
 "Well of all the things," said Dick in an amazed 
 tone; "my, but " 
 
 But on one ever knew what he was going to say, 
 for just then Mrs. Carey, the cook, came out in a 
 fluster of excitement and said, "Boys, come quick ; 
 Mr. Sumter is lying on his face in the middle of 
 Ms office and there's a pool of blood around him !"
 
 CHAPTER V 
 THE MYSTERIOUS KNOCK 
 
 At this startling announcement the boys were 
 rendered speechless for a moment. When the 
 situation really came to them they all set off in a 
 dash toward the Academy. They bolted into the 
 office and bent over the prostrate captain, who 
 was now showing signs of reviving consciousness. 
 A short while later he opened his eyes and then a 
 doctor edged his way through the crowd of boys. 
 After a close examination he pronounced the 
 wound not dangerous, thus taking a load of 
 anxiety off the boys' minds. After having fixed 
 his head he left. 
 
 "How did this happen?" asked one of the boys, 
 excitedly. 
 
 Mr. Sumter began to tell his story to the boys 
 and said : "I was writing at my desk when a man 
 came in. He was dressed like a tramp and I asked 
 him what he wanted of me. He then asked me if 
 I had room for another pupil, and my answer was 
 
 44
 
 The Mysterious Knock 45 
 
 'yes.' He questioned me about the cost and gave 
 me a wad of money and said he wanted his son to 
 be in the school for one year. I turned around and 
 got his change for him, but as I wheeled around 
 again I was confronted by the menacing muzzle 
 of a gun. I also grabbed at a pistol, which was in 
 one of my desk drawers, but before I could get it 
 he pulled the trigger of his gun, and that's all 
 I know. ' ' 
 
 "Did he get your money!" asked one of the 
 boys. 
 
 "Why, I had forgotten all about that I'll see," 
 and with this Mr. Sumter opened the drawer in 
 his desk. 
 
 "Well, he got all that was in this drawer," he 
 said ruefully. 
 
 "Not much, I hope," said Dick sympathetically. 
 
 "No, thank goodness, I put most of my money 
 in the safe he only got $13." 
 
 ' ' How big was the man f ' ' asked Sandy, who had 
 been silent up to this time. 
 
 "Why he about six feet three inches tall," 
 was the answer of Mr. Sumter. 
 
 "Did he have black eyes?" 
 
 "Yes."
 
 46 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "A long nosef" 
 
 "Yes." 
 
 4 'Brown hair? " 
 
 "Yes," said Mr. Sumter, now getting excited. 
 
 "And discolored teeth!" 
 
 "Yes, I saw his teeth when he talked." 
 
 "And a scar on his right cheek?" 
 
 "Yes. Have you ever seen him?" 
 
 "I ought to have seen him," was the startling 
 reply from Sandy; "that's Sam Harding 's 
 father." 
 
 "Sam Harding's father!" 
 
 The exclamation came from all of the small 
 group of listeners. 
 
 "Yes," continued Sandy. 
 
 "I guess that Sam means trouble," said Dick 
 quietly, "but we will be ready for him at any 
 time." 
 
 There were no more adventures that day nor 
 Sunday, but when Monday came Bob and Dick 
 met a group of sad boys out in the corridor. 
 
 "Why, boys, what's the matter?" they asked 
 with puzzled voices. 
 
 "Haven't you heard?" asked Sandy; "Chuck 
 has scarlet ferer. Mr. Sumter broke out with it
 
 The Mysterious Knock 47 
 
 first, and then Chuck caught it from him. If 
 anybody else catches it the Academy will have t* 
 close/* 
 
 The morning passed slowly and tiresomely, and 
 .when the afternoon came three more boys were 
 reported to have been added to the searlet fever 
 list. All the boys moved around slowly and 
 despairingly. 
 
 That night there were seven more on the scarlet 
 fever list. 
 
 " Well," said Fred, as he hung his head, "school 
 closes tomorrow. I heard the health officer say 
 so." 
 
 The boys went into their rooms with a gush of 
 sadness coming over them. Early the next morn- 
 ing all the boys were packed and ready to start 
 for home, as soon as the word was passed. Around 
 nine o'clock the health officers came and shut up 
 the Academy. 
 
 As they passed out of the gate, Dick looked back 
 at the Academy and said solemnly, "It seems as 
 though our best friend has died." 
 
 There was a short silence, and then Dick asked, 
 "What are you going to do this winter, Predf " 
 
 "I don't know," was the rueful reply from
 
 48 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 Fred; "my parents have gone to Europe, and I 
 suppose I '11 go to a hotel. ' ' 
 
 "Boh, come here a moment," said Dick; "I 
 want to speak to you.'* 
 
 The hoys held a whispered conference for a 
 moment and then joined Fred. 
 
 "Why don't you come home with us and spend 
 the winter?" said Dick; "we'll all he glad to have 
 
 you. ' ' 
 
 'Are you sure it will he all right?" asked Fred, 
 as a bright look came over his face, replacing the 
 dull one. 
 
 "Of course; come along," said Boh, laughing. 
 
 "Well, I'll go then," said Fred happily. 
 
 The boys soon reached the train and in a short 
 while were speeding off toward home. They 
 reached Spencerville a half hour later and they all 
 got off. 
 
 "Where do you live?" asked Fred, as he looked 
 aroand the platform. 
 
 Dick came to the rescue and said, "We live six 
 miles out of town on a farm." 
 
 They engaged a horse and buggy and were soon 
 riding off towards home. After a long ride they 
 saw a neat little cottage before them.
 
 The Mysterious Knock 49 
 
 " Here's where we live," said Bob, as he jumped 
 out of the buggy. 
 
 They were soon at the door and rushed into the 
 house. Mrs. Morris came to see what was the 
 matter, and when she saw the boys she was speech- 
 less for a moment. After finding her breath she 
 exclaimed, "What are you doing here? I thought 
 you were at school." 
 
 "We'll tell you all about that later," said Dick, 
 "but right now we all are hungry as wolves." 
 
 "Why I should have known that," said Mrs. 
 Morris with a smile; "that isn't a surprise, for 
 you are always hungry. Just go out to the wood- 
 pile and cut me some wood, and when you come 
 back I will have something for you." 
 
 The boys were soon at the task of cutting wood, 
 and after cutting a boxful they hurried back into 
 the house. 
 
 A few minutes later they were sitting down to 
 an appetizing meal of ham and eggs, flapjacks 
 and honey. 
 
 "You are one of the best cooks I've ever seen, 
 Mrs. Morris," said Fred to that distinguished 
 person. Mrs. Morris just gave him a hug and an 
 extra dish of flapjacks. When the boys had eaten
 
 50 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 all they could hold they rose and went outside and 
 showed Fred around the farm. Then they re- 
 turned to the house. 
 
 "Why, hello boys!" exclaimed Mr. Morris, who 
 had come in while they were showing Fred around 
 the farm. 
 
 "Why, hello Dad," called Bob, as he rushed 
 forward. 
 
 They sat around by the fire, and then Mr. Morris 
 asked, "Tell me some of your adventures, boys." 
 
 All the tale was told and Mr. Morris stroked an 
 imaginary beard for a moment. 
 
 "That Sam ought to be put in jail," he said. 
 
 "That's what I'm thinking, only we haven't 
 anything real bad against him," was the answer 
 from Bob. 
 
 Mr. Morris soon went to the farm-yard and the 
 boys followed. Barely had they gotten into the 
 fresh air when there was a jingling of bells and 
 two or three sleighs came up the street gliding 
 over the snow. 
 
 "There goes the men on their snow trip," said 
 Bob, as he gazed after them. 
 
 "What about this snow trip?" asked Fred, 
 puzzled.
 
 The Mysterious Knock 51 
 
 "Oh they are going out on a hike to the woods, 
 and are going to stay there all winter,*' was the 
 answer. 
 
 "Why, why, can't we go to the woods and spend 
 the winter? it would be fun," broke out Fred. 
 
 "By cracky," yelled Bob, as he jammed his fist 
 into the palm of his hand, "you are right about 
 that. I '11 ask mother." 
 
 In a few moments he came out with a shining 
 countenance and said, "She says we can if dad 
 agrees." 
 
 They ran into the farm-yard and here they 
 found Mr. Morris. 
 
 "We want to ask you if we can go on a winter 
 hike we'll be gone about two weeks can we 
 go?" queried Bob, anxiously. 
 
 "Boys, I don't see why you couldn't; nothing 
 will harm you," answered Mr. Morris, as he went 
 into the house. 
 
 "How did you think of that?" asked Dick joy- 
 ously, as he pounded Fred upon the back; "we'll 
 have some fun now." 
 
 "Where are we going to stay?" asked Bob ; "we 
 need a place to live in out there." 
 
 "We'll ask Mr. Morton," said Dick, after a
 
 52 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 moment's speculation, "to rent us his place out in 
 the woods." 
 
 "That's just the thing," and they all started 
 for Mr. Morton's house. 
 
 After a long walk they came upon another farm 
 house. They went up the stairs and rang the hell. 
 It was opened hy a pleasant-faced man, and to 
 their question he replied: "I'll rent it to you for 
 nothing if you promise to keep it in good order." 
 
 They eagerly promised, and then hurried down 
 the stairs again. 
 
 ' ' Now the next question is : when do we start I ' ' 
 asked Fred. 
 
 "We'll start next week," said Bob; "we need 
 some time to get fixed up." 
 
 As they started off towards home, Dick gave a 
 surprised cry and asked, "Why not ask Sandy 
 to come with us the more the merrier, as the old 
 saying is. ' ' 
 
 After arriving at home, they hitched the horse 
 to the buggy and drove off towards town. When 
 they reached there they immediately went to the 
 telegraph office and sent a telegram to Sandy. In 
 a little less than an hour the return message came 
 in over the wires.
 
 The Mysterious Knock 53 
 
 "He can come," shouted Bob joyously, as he 
 tore open the envelope and read the contents; 
 ' * listen to what he says : 
 
 " 'Will be with you tomorrow. Sandy.' 
 
 The boys went home and all that day planned 
 on the fun they were going to have. Next day 
 Sandy arrived and there was a happy meeting. 
 The rest of the week was spent in getting ready 
 for the trip. When Monday really came the boys 
 were all ready for their proposed outing. They 
 had hired a sleigh to carry their provisions for 
 them and this was already on its way. 
 
 Early in the morning the boys started and hiked 
 for two or three hours, and soon came into a clear- 
 ing in which a large log cabin stood. They went 
 in and saw that all their provisions were there. 
 They fixed up things for awhile, and when they 
 had finished Sandy mopped his brow and said, 
 "I'm going out and look around." 
 
 When Sandy had gone, Fred asked joyfully, 
 "Don't it seem good to have a place where you 
 are not going to be bothered every other minute ? ' ' 
 
 Scarcely had the words come out of his mouth 
 when a couple of loud knocks came on the door!
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 UNWELCOME VISITORS 
 
 "Sandy has just gone out. I wonder why he is 
 coming back so soon?" said Bob, as he rushed to 
 the door and drew the bolt. 
 
 The door was pushed open and a man, an utter 
 stranger to the boys, stepped into the room and 
 glared around. 
 
 "Get me something to eat," the man ordered 
 roughly. 
 
 "Pretty good customer to deal with," whis- 
 pered Fred to Dick. 
 
 "What are you kids whispering about?" in- 
 quired the man suspiciously; "get me something 
 to eat, and be quick about it," and with this he 
 pulled out a gun and held it in his hand. 
 
 "Now get busy," he scrowlingly ordered. The 
 boys would have rushed the man, but when they 
 saw the gun, and looked into the man's hard fea- 
 tures, they decided it was best to obey orders. It 
 took them only a few minutes to fix something and 
 
 54
 
 Unwelcome Visitors 55 
 
 they gave to the man who ate it ravenously. After 
 this he ordered the boys to fix something for him 
 to take away. The boys were going to refuse when 
 they saw Sandy sneaking up from the back. 
 
 "We'll fix you something," said Bob hastily, 
 and turned quickly around, but keeping Sandy in 
 eye-sight. All at once Sandy hit the floor as hard 
 as he could, and the man turned around. Quick 
 as lightning, Bob was running for the man's feet, 
 and the man turned again to see what was hap- 
 pening. He was knocked to the floor and the gun 
 slipped from his grasp. Sandy grabbed for the 
 gun and when the man rose he was confronted by 
 the menacing muzzle of it. 
 
 "Don't be careless with that gun, or it might 
 go off," said the man scrowlingly. 
 
 "It would be better for you if it did go off," 
 grinned Sandy. 
 
 "Sit down," he then commanded. 
 
 The man sat down sullenly, and the boys set 
 to the task of tying him. When the man was 
 securely tied the boys started to fix up their own 
 lunch. They untied the man's hands and gave him 
 something more to eat. After that they went out 
 leaving Bob to take care of the cabin.
 
 56 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Leave me out of this, and I'll give you ten 
 dollars," cried the man artfully. 
 
 "Keep your breath," laughed Bob, "and don't 
 try that on me." 
 
 In an hour the boys came in and then Dick took 
 care of the prisoner; 
 
 "Our friend has been offering me money to let 
 him escape," laughed Bob to his chums. 
 
 "He might as well save his breath," laughed 
 Fred. 
 
 The afternoon wore on quickly and then the 
 boys fixed supper. 
 
 The night soon came on, and the boys went to 
 bed. The next morning they were all up early, 
 and were soon dressed. 
 
 "I wonder how our prisoner is getting along," 
 grinned Sandy slyly. Sandy, Bob and Dick went 
 into the other room and were met by a great sur- 
 prise. The prisoner was gone! 
 
 The boys were then interrupted by a cry from 
 Fred. They hurried to the door and Fred pointed 
 to the ground. 
 
 "Somebody has been here last night," muttered 
 Fred, for on the ground were tracks that could not 
 have been there very long.
 
 Unwelcome Visitors 57 
 
 "I just wonder who it was!" asked Sandy in a 
 perplexed tone. 
 
 They closed the door and went inside the cabin 
 again. They fixed breakfast, but during the meal 
 Dick was silent. 
 
 ''Cheer up, Dick," grinned Fred; "what's on 
 your mind!" 
 
 "I can't understand why the boys who untied 
 that man never took any food." 
 
 "Dick, you're crazy!" exclaimed the others in 
 one breath. 
 
 "I may be mistaken," was the answer, "but 
 until I have proof that it wasn't a boy I'll stick 
 to what I've said." 
 
 "If they were boys, have you any idea who they 
 were?" asked Fred. 
 
 "Yes," was the decided answer. 
 
 "Then who was it?" 
 
 "It was Sam Harding." 
 
 "Sam Harding," exclaimed the boys in one 
 breath. 
 
 ' l Yes, and George Redney was with him. ' ' 
 
 The boys were silent for a minute and they could 
 not have been more surprised had a bombshell 
 burst among them.
 
 58 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 " If that's true, I would like to know what Sam 
 and George are doing around here," hlurted out 
 Bob at length. 
 
 "Well, we are as near solving that question as 
 we were before," grinned Sandy, "so I move that 
 we go outside and do something." 
 
 They went out and had a snow fight, and when 
 they returned to the cabin a few hours later they 
 were as hungry as bears. After eating dinner 
 they went back into the woods. 
 
 "Let's try and get some fresh meat," suggested 
 Dick; "I'm getting tired of canned goods." 
 
 This suggestion was met with howls of approval, 
 and the boys went back into the cabin. After 
 polishing the guns until they shone like the sun, 
 the boys started. 
 
 "I'm going to get a rabbit," cried Dick with 
 delight. They walked for a ways and then sepa- 
 rated. Dick soon saw a rabbit and he shot it. He 
 walked a little farther and then saw something 
 that looked like a cat. He shot at it, but the bullet 
 only grazed the wildcat's shoulder, for that was 
 what it was. With a ferocious yell the animal 
 jumped at Dick. Before Dick could shoot again 
 the wildcat was upon him.
 
 Unwelcome Visitors 59 
 
 "Help! help!" called out Dick as loud as he 
 could. In a few minutes he heard a trampling in 
 the brush, but not until the wildcat had scratched 
 him several times. In a few seconds Fred broke 
 in on the scene, closely followed by Bob and Sandy. 
 Bob raised his gun and pulled the trigger. Bang ! 
 and the wildcat fell over dead. The boys started 
 to their cabin while Dick limped along behind. 
 When they reached the cabin they found the door 
 open. 
 
 "I know that I closed this door tight," said 
 Fred, "just before we left" 
 
 "Maybe you were mistaken," suggested Sandy; 
 "come on in." And the boys followed him into 
 the cabin. 
 
 Fred happened to go to the cupboard just then, 
 and made a startling discovery. 
 
 "The provisions aren't here," he cried. 
 
 "Not there!" exclaimed the boys excitedly. 
 
 "No, they are not here. Somebody came in 
 while we were gone and took them." 
 
 The boys were silent for a moment and then 
 Bob rejoined. "Boys, we can't starve. Let's go 
 to town and get some more food the walk will do 
 us good."
 
 60 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "I'm too shaken up to go now," said Dick, "so 
 you go to town while I stay here and take care 
 of the cabin." 
 
 In half an hour the boys jogged off on their way. 
 A while later Dick went to the window and looked 
 out. 
 
 "My," he muttered to himself, "it looks like a 
 blizzard." 
 
 As he kept looking at the sky it kept getting 
 darker and darker. All of a sudden some snow- 
 flakes fell. They were soon followed by others, 
 and after five more minutes there was a regular 
 blizzard raging. 
 
 "I hope that Bob and the boys find a place to 
 stay," murmured Dick. 
 
 In half an hour the snow was coming down so 
 thick that he could not see a foot ahead of him. 
 Dick was getting worried as the moments passed, 
 but suddenly there came a sharp knock. "That's 
 them, I suppose," said Dick joyfully. He went to 
 the door and opened it. 
 
 But instead of the boys entering, the man they 
 had held captive but a short time ago stepped into 
 the room. 
 
 "So we meet again," he sneered.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 LOST IN THE BLIZZARD 
 
 Returning to the boys who started for town. 
 
 "Look at that sky!" said Sandy. 
 
 They looked toward the sky for a moment and 
 then Bob said, "It looks like a blizzard, so we had 
 better hurry. ' ' 
 
 The boys quickened their pace and started off 
 at a brisk walk. As the sky grew darker and 
 darker, Sandy said, "Boys, this is going to be the 
 real thing; I'm going to try and find shelter 
 before it's too late." 
 
 They looked on either side of them but could 
 see nothing. In a few more minutes the snow 
 started to fall and the boys ran as fast as they 
 could. The snow came down faster and faster, but 
 soon the boys saw something that looked like a 
 dark mass of wood. They ran still faster and soon 
 saw the outlines of a cabin. 
 
 They knocked at the door of the hut, but no 
 answer came to them. After knocking at the door 
 
 61
 
 62 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 a few times more, they took the liherty of opening 
 the door and looking in. 
 
 "No one here," said Fred; "let's go in." 
 
 They went in and saw an old table standing in 
 the middle of the room. There were four old 
 chairs sitting around the room, and Bob said, 
 "One thing about this place is that they don't use 
 much style." 
 
 The boys went to the cupboard and opened it. 
 Inside they found a pile of food. 
 
 "I'm going to fall to," grinned Sandy, and 
 started to dispose of a loaf of bread. When they 
 had eaten their fill and had put the things away 
 again, they heard a noise outside. 
 
 Looking out Bob saw some men and boys com- 
 ing toward the shack. After gazing at them for a 
 moment, Bob cried, "Hide some place, quick." 
 
 "Why " started Fred!. 
 
 "Hide quick before they get here," and without 
 saying a thing more Bob ran for an old closet. 
 The boys got into the closet and closed the door. 
 In a few minutes they heard someone say, "That's 
 a bad storm to be out in." 
 
 "Why that's George Redney's voice," whis- 
 pered Sandy, startled.
 
 Lost in the Blizzard 63 
 
 "Boys, look here," said Bob after awhile, and 
 he pointed to a hole in the door. They each looked 
 through it and could see George Redney, Sam 
 Harding 's father and another man. 
 
 "That's a tough gang," said Bob; "I wonder 
 where Sam is?" 
 
 The boys listened a little longer and then heard 
 their names pronounced. 
 
 "They must have it in for us," laughed Sandy 
 softly. 
 
 "They surely had, and I would rather put my- 
 self to the mercy of the snow than to the mercy 
 of these crooks," said Bob, "and here goes." 
 
 He walked softly to the other side of the closet 
 and opened a window. He soon got out and was 
 also followed by Fred and Sandy. 
 
 "Gee, it's cold," shivered Fred, putting his 
 hands down in his pockets for warmth. 
 
 They went on their way to town again half 
 stumbling, half walking. 
 
 "I can't go much farther," said Fred; "I'm 
 tired out." 
 
 "We are near town," encouraged Bob, "so try 
 to go on a little more." He then added, "Gee, the 
 snow is so thick you can't see a foot ahead of you. ' '
 
 64 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 They walked on a while longer and then Bob said, 
 "I can't understand it. We should have been in 
 town a long time ago." 
 
 No answer came to him and he turned around 
 and tried to peer into the white mass of snow. 
 
 "Fred! Sandy !" he called anxiously, but the 
 wind choked his voice so it could not carry far. 
 Bob turned around and retraced his steps, but he 
 could not do this much for the snow blew into his 
 face and cut it and the wind blew hpn back. He 
 stumbled along and soon saw a black object in 
 front of him. Hope grew high in his bosom as he 
 cried out, "Is that you, Fred?" 
 
 "Yes; is that you, Bob?" came the joyful 
 answer. 
 
 They were soon embracing each other and then 
 Fred asked, "Where's Sandy?" 
 
 "I don't know," said Bob, "I thought he was 
 with you." 
 
 "He's lost, then," said Fred sadly, "but we'd 
 better be going on." 
 
 They groped their way onward and soon Bob 
 stumbled over something. 
 
 "Fred, come here," he called. He was joined 
 by Fred and they both looked at the snow.
 
 Lost in the Blizzard 65 
 
 "Why, that's Sandy," said Fred; "how did you 
 ever find him?" 
 
 "I just stumbled over him," said Bob, "but I 
 wonder if he's dead?" 
 
 "I hope not," said Fred. 
 
 They got down on their hands and knees and 
 picked up Sandy. They stumbled along with their 
 burden and soon came to a spot where there was 
 not much snow. They laid Sandy on the ground 
 and worked over him for five or ten minutes. They 
 were at last rewarded by seeing the red come back 
 to Sandy's cheeks. He soon opened his eyes and 
 looked around. 
 
 "How did I get here!" he asked in bewilder- 
 ment. 
 
 "We brought you here," replied Bob joyfully. 
 
 "Oh, I remember," said Sandy, "I got so tired 
 I just gave in." 
 
 The boys built a snug shelter from branches 
 of trees and went to sleep as it was getting late. 
 The next morning they started out early, as the 
 snow had stopped. After a short walk they came 
 upon a small town. They asked the first man they 
 saw if he knew the way to Spencerville. 
 
 "Well, I calculates I do," he drawled; "it's
 
 66 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 about five miles down that way," as he pointed 
 west. 
 
 After thanking him they set out again and in 
 two hours they came to Spencerville. They went 
 to the grocers and bought their things. 
 
 "Well, Bob, going home to see your mother?" 
 asked Fred. 
 
 "Well, no; I don't want her to hear or know 
 about this. She might make us come back home 
 and they'll be no camping trip." 
 
 The boys soon set off again. 
 
 "I think one of us had better take the provisions 
 and go alone," said Bob; "if Sam's bunch gets us 
 we don't want them to get our food again." 
 
 "And I agree with you there," said Fred, and 
 Sandy willingly agreed also. 
 
 Sandy took the supplies and hurried on, and it 
 was lucky for them as later events will prove. 
 
 The others walked on farther and soon Bob said, 
 "I feel as though someone is following us." 
 
 They looked around but they could see nothing. 
 As they turned to go in a different direction, two 
 men jumped out of the woods behind them and 
 soon had the boys overpowered.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 THE TABLES TURNED 
 
 Returning to the cabin in the woods. 
 
 As the man they had held captive entered the 
 room Dick was so surprised that he stood rooted 
 to the floor. When he had overcome his surprise 
 he asked: 
 
 "What do you want here!" 
 
 "What do I want?" echoed the man; "I want 
 food and shelter, and I'm going to have it," and 
 then he continued, "If anything happens IVe 
 somebody with me," and he beckoned to someone 
 who was at the door, whom Dick had not noticed 
 there before. 
 
 "So I'm here," sneered Sam angrily, for he 
 was the one the man had beckoned to. "So I'm 
 here. You don't seem glad to see me." 
 
 As Dick remained silent the man said, "Now 
 get us something to eat. 
 
 Dick went towards the pantry and took what 
 little there was out. 
 
 67
 
 68 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ''You're welcome to all we have," he said, 
 smiling. 
 
 The man took the food that Dick had given to 
 him and he and Sam devoured it ravenously. 
 
 After they had finished eating what little there 
 was the man took out a hlack hottle which smelled 
 of whiskey. 
 
 "Here, Sam, won't you take a little? It won't 
 hurt you." 
 
 "Well, I don't care if I do," said Sam, who did 
 not really want it but did not want to refuse the 
 man and maybe anger him. 
 
 Dick turned his eyes away from them, for he 
 could not bear the sight. 
 
 All were silent for a moment and at last there 
 came a noise at the door. The man pulled out 
 his gun and warily approached the door. Dick 
 hoped that it was his friends, for then he knew 
 that he would be safe. The man threw open the 
 door and someone stepped into the room. The 
 door was shut again and then Dick noticed that it 
 was George Redney who had stepped in. 
 
 "How did you know that I was alone?" de- 
 manded Dick; "you wouldn't dare come if all of 
 us were here at the same time."
 
 The Tables Turned 69 
 
 "All of you will never be here again, " laughed 
 George, "your three comrades perished in the 
 snow. ' ' 
 
 "You don't mean it," said Dick, a shudder of 
 horror going orer him. 
 
 "Yes I do mean it," said George. 
 
 Dick sank down in a chair and rested his head 
 on his hand. It may as well be said here that tears 
 appeared in the boy's eyes as he thought of his 
 comrades lying dead out in the snow. 
 
 All was silent for a minute, and then George 
 said, "I never forget to bring my food along." 
 
 Dick started when he heard this and clenched his 
 fist. George took some packages out of his 
 pocket and soon there was an abundance of food 
 lying on the table. They fixed their breakfast and 
 then gave Dick some. After breakfast was over 
 Sam said, "Hadn't you better tie Dick's hands 
 and feet, he might get away." This they did. 
 
 The others soon started to talk. 
 
 "So Bill ve got you at last did we," asked 
 George, "I thought you would come to your 
 senses by and by. ' ' 
 
 "I never came until they gave me the money I 
 asked for," admonished Bill sharply.
 
 70 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ''Well you're here and that's all we want," 
 said Sam, "and I'll admit that these kids are 
 going to have a hard time with you. ' ' 
 
 "They certainly are," boasted Bill, "a man 
 isn't paid for nothing nowadays, and money don't 
 come in any time you want it." 
 
 "I should say it don't," echoed George, "but I 
 wonder what Ted and Sam's father are doing 
 now. ' ' 
 
 "Oh, dad," grumbled Sam, "I suppose he's 
 playing cards. That's all he's ever doing. He 
 earns enough money from gambling and won't 
 give me a cent, hang him." 
 
 "I think he gives you enough," returned Bill 
 sharply, "and shut up about it." 
 
 Sam grumbled and slunk away. 
 
 As time went by Dick asked himself, "did 
 George tell the truth about Bob and them being 
 dead. I won't believe it." 
 
 With that thought his heart grew lighter. The 
 day passed and at night, as the snow started to 
 come down less fiercely he wondered where they 
 were. 
 
 They were awake early next morning and 
 Dick's thoughts were of his chums. His break-
 
 The Tables Turned 71 
 
 fast was brought him and then he asked them 
 what they intended to do with him. 
 
 "We are going to first get all of you, and then 
 we will sell you to some bandits in the mountains 
 and they will hold you for ransom, ' ' sneered Sam. 
 
 "Held for ransom." My, but those words 
 sounded awful. 
 
 "You wouldn't dare do it," Dick said with a 
 shudder. 
 
 "Why not?" asked Sam, sneeringly. 
 
 Just then George came up and hearing part of 
 the conversation he said, "I hate those kids, but 
 if you dare to ransom them while I'm with you 
 I'll blab the whole thing." 
 
 This threat silenced Sam and he stole away into 
 the other room. Dick's bonds had been loosened 
 and he asked, "Will you shake, George?" 
 
 "Shake, I won't," angrily said George, as he 
 walked off. 
 
 Sam soon came up to George and said, "You're 
 mighty good and smart, you think." 
 
 "You have to be smart in this group of out- 
 laws," was the answer. 
 
 "Why don't you try for the ministry?" asked 
 Sam angrily.
 
 72 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 * * I may, some day, ' ' came back the oold answer. 
 
 "You think you're an angel,*' said Sam in dis- 
 gust. 
 
 "Look here," replied George, "I've stood 
 enough from you. I'm going to quit, and that's 
 all there is to it. ' ' 
 
 "You yellow-faced hound," snapped Sam, but 
 the sentence was never finished for George's fist 
 shot out and Sam found himself measuring his 
 length on the floor of the cabin. 
 
 He slowly rose and walked off, while George sat 
 down and picked up a book. 
 
 Dick was near George and he saw that it was 
 a Latin reader. 
 
 "Why in the Hall he was way behind in Latin 
 and never would study it, ' ' he exclaimed softly to 
 himself, "I wonder what has come over him." 
 
 George went on studying as though nothing had 
 ever happened, but inwardly Dick was getting a 
 growing admiration for George and secretly 
 wished that they might be friends. 
 
 Dick gazed around the room and then asked, 
 "You've got a guard at the door, you might as 
 well let me walk around." 
 
 "I don't see any harm in it," said Bill.
 
 The Tables Turned. 73 
 
 Dick then went to the window and looked out. 
 First he saw only the woods before him, and in a 
 few more minutes he saw a boy hove into sight. 
 
 "That's Sandy!" he exclaimed joyfully. 
 
 Sandy came along and soon arrived at the cabin. 
 He knocked at the door and the man was instantly 
 on the alert. He cautiously opened the heavy oak 
 door and then Sandy stepped in with his arms 
 full of provisions. 
 
 "For the love of Mike," he startlingly 
 exclaimed, l * Sam Harding ! George Rodney ! ' ' 
 
 He turned hurriedly toward the door, only to 
 see the grinning countenance of Bill staring at 
 him. 
 
 "Hello, Sandy!" called out Dick happily. 
 
 The two boys were soon in a joyful reunion. 
 Just then they saw George pack his things and 
 go over to Bill. After this he went to the door 
 and left 
 
 "What's the matter with George?" asked 
 Sandy, "he acts crazy." 
 
 Dick told him all and Sandy expressed his 
 opinion that he hoped George would turn over a 
 good leaf. 
 
 While they were thus talking Bill came up to
 
 74 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 them and said, "Say young kid fork over those 
 provisions you got there." 
 
 Sandy reluctantly handed them over, as he 
 knew they had the drop on him. Then Bill went 
 over to Sam and whispered to him for a moment. 
 After this he came back to the boys and said, 
 "Tomorrow we will take you to the mountains 
 for ransom."
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 HELD FOR RANSOM 
 
 Going back to Bob and Fred. 
 
 As the two boys were seized and thrown down 
 they were more astonished than hurt. They came 
 to their senses only when two burly men were 
 sitting on top of them. 
 
 "What do you mean by using these high handed 
 methods on us?" inquired the boys angrily. 
 
 "We'll show you what we mean," was the 
 answer. 
 
 They forced them over on their stomachs and 
 then tied their hands and feet. They picked the 
 boys up easily and then threw them over their 
 backs. After this they started off. The boys 
 marvelled at the men's strength, for they carried 
 them as though they had been dolls. After a 
 tramp of one or two miles they came upon a large 
 mountain and started to climb it. 
 
 They went higher and higher and soon came to 
 a narrow ledge. They walked carefully along this 
 
 75
 
 76 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 and then started up again. In a short while longer 
 they came upon a clearing and in it stood a group 
 of small tents and four large log cabins. As they 
 advanced into the clearing a man, who seemed to 
 be the leader, came forward. He was a short, fat 
 man and had ear-rings hanging from his ears. 
 
 "What do you want here?" he asked surlily. 
 
 "We want to sell you these boys," was the 
 answer, "you'll get a good reward for them." 
 
 The boys knew now why they were brought here. 
 
 "I'll give you $200 for them," he bargained. 
 
 "No, no, you can get a couple of thousand 
 that won't do." 
 
 "I'll give you $400." 
 
 "$500 or nothing." 
 
 After trying to keep the price down the man 
 finally consented. 
 
 "All right then, $500, ' ' came the unwilling reply, 
 and the boys were handed over while the men 
 received their money. 
 
 They were brought to a log house and locked in. 
 In about half an hour there came another buzz of 
 excitement from the outside and someone was 
 thrown into the room next to them. 
 
 "Let's break down this wall and get to the ones
 
 Held for Ransom 77 
 
 that were tnrown in just now and may be we can 
 all find a way to get out," said Bob. 
 
 They threw their whole weight against it and it 
 shook and quivered. After two more turns they 
 heard it giving a little. Once more they threw 
 their weight against it and they fell headlong into 
 the next room. They got up and rubbed them- 
 selves and then looked at the occupants of the 
 room. As they looked they uttered a gasp of 
 excitement, for sitting on the floor facing them 
 was Dick and Sandy. 
 
 ' ' Dick ! Sandy ! ' ' they exclaimed in one breath, 
 "how in the world!" but explanations would 
 come later. 
 
 There was a happy reunion in the next few min- 
 utes and then the boys were called upon to tell their 
 adventures. After this was done Bob said, "That 
 isn't what we broke in here for. We have to find 
 a way of escape." 
 
 "We should wait until tonight," replied Fred, 
 wisely, "we'll fix a way now and tonight we'll 
 take that avenue of escape. ' ' 
 
 This was voted a good way, and they set about 
 to find means of getting out. Scarcely had they 
 started, when a key rattled in the door-lock and
 
 78 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 the door opened. It was one of the attendants 
 that came into the room. 
 
 ' * How did you get in here ! ' ' he asked Bob and 
 Fred. But one glance around the room was 
 enough to convince him now. -He went out leav- 
 ing them alone, hut in a minute he came back with 
 two stout boards. These he nailed over the spot 
 that was broken. 
 
 "Now you can all stay here," said the man, as 
 he went out. 
 
 After he had gone they tried again to find a way 
 to escape. But toward six o 'clock they gave it up 
 in despair. The same attendant brought them their 
 meals, and after he had gone they dozed off and 
 went to sleep. They woke about midnight with a 
 start. Someone was tampering with the lock. 
 Soon the door swung open admitting the attend- 
 ant. He walked over to them on tip-toes and in 
 a whisper told them to go with him. 
 
 " Shall we go?" the boys asked one another, 
 "may be this is another trap." 
 
 "We may as well go," replied Bob, "we can't 
 be any worse off than we are now." 
 
 The boys followed the attendant and soon they 
 came to the outskirts of the camp. There was a
 
 Held for Ransom 79 
 
 fire here, and drunken men were snoring all around 
 them. They passed them, taking care to keep out 
 of the glow of the firelight. They soon reached a 
 narrow mountain gully. They passed across and 
 were soon at the other end. 
 
 They started down a little farther, and then in 
 the darkness of the night they could see a man's 
 figure looming up in front of them. They grabbed 
 for his feet and he came down on his hands. The 
 force of his fall made him gasp for breath and 
 so he could not yell for help. When he recovered 
 he found a gag in his mouth and he was bound 
 hand and foot. Leaving him they walked on 
 farther. Soon a horseman dashed by them, a few 
 feet away. 
 
 "My but it's getting hot," said Fred, joyfully, 
 "this is how I like it." 
 
 "We had better hurry," said the attendant and 
 there was change in his voice. From a man's it 
 changed into a boy's. Dick took a long look at 
 him through the gloom, and then burst out with: 
 "Why you're George Redney!" 
 
 "What of it," answered George, "but come with 
 me. We must hustle if we want to get away from 
 the outlaws."
 
 80 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 They walked on farther, but suddenly a dark 
 figure loomed up in front. 
 
 "Who are you?" he asked, trying to peer 
 through the darkness at them. 
 
 "We are searching for the boys who escaped," 
 George said, "don't you know me?" 
 
 "Then go ahead," the man replied. 
 
 The group went on, and George said slyly, 
 "That's the way to get by, they all know me." 
 
 They were not stopped again, and they reached 
 the bottom of the mountain in safety. 
 
 "Follow this road and you'll get to your cabin," 
 said George, hastily, and he broke away in a run, 
 without another word. 
 
 "I guess George is a pretty good sort," said 
 Bob, warmly, "I wonder why he turned over a 
 good leaf?" 
 
 Dick told about the way George did in the 
 cabin, and by the time he got through they came 
 upon their log house. They went in cautiously and 
 finding that no one was in, advanced more boldly. 
 They went to sleep and did not wake until late 
 the next morning. They ate their breakfast 
 and then Bob said, "Don't it seem good to be 
 together again?"
 
 Held for Ransom 81 
 
 "It sure does," laughed Sandy, gazing proudly 
 at his chums. 
 
 After this they did their daily chores. Fred 
 went out to the woodshed to cut wood, but soon 
 came back, saying excitedly: 
 
 "Boys, hide. Here comes the outlaw bandit 
 with three of his men."
 
 CHAPTER X 
 THE OUTLAWS BALKED 
 
 Even during this the boys did not lose their 
 heads, as most boys are apt to do. Bob motioned 
 them over to him and said quietly, "We can hold 
 them if we want to. ' ' 
 
 Then the boys each got a gun and went to the 
 door, for the outlaws were still far away. The 
 boys hailed them, and in answer to their hail the 
 four men raised their fists with threatening gest- 
 ures and said: 
 
 "We bought you, and we are going to have you, 
 too!" 
 
 "Come and get us then," said Fred, smiling, 
 and tapping the barrel of his gun. 
 
 "Oh, so you will fight will you," said their 
 leader, "then take that," and he pointed his gun 
 at them and pulled the trigger. 
 
 The outlaw's horse gave a swerve just as the 
 man fired and the bullet whizzed over their heads. 
 The boys ran for the cabin and gained entrance 
 
 82
 
 The Outlaws Balked 83 
 
 before the men began to shoot again. Two of 
 the boys fired out of the window in return, while 
 the other two found knot holes where they could 
 look out and also fire through. The bullets were 
 soon flying helter-skelter. Bob put his head up, 
 and his cap was shot off of it. 
 
 "That'll give you a lesson," smiled Dick. 
 
 "That was a brand new cap, and now it's 
 ruined," moaned Bob woefully. 
 
 Soon one of the outlaws threw up his hands 
 and fell over on the ground. Another got off of 
 his horse, and looked at him and then slowly shook 
 his head. 
 
 "It's a pity we had to kill him," murmured 
 Fred soberly, "but it was either him or us." 
 
 A few minutes later another outlaw staggered 
 and fell to the ground. The leader and the man 
 that was left then thinking that they had had 
 enough rode off on their horses. The boys waited 
 until they were far away and then went out to 
 bury the dead men. They soon buried one, but 
 saw that the other was breathing slightly. They 
 brought him to their cabin and laid him ,on a bed. 
 They ministered first aid to him and bandaged 
 his wound. After they had fixed him up they
 
 84 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 quietly left the room and then Sandy said, "I 
 surely pity the poor fellow." 
 
 "So do we," was the answer from Bob, "but I 
 wonder if the men will come back again." 
 
 "If they do they'll find us waiting for them," 
 grinned Fred, tapping his gun. 
 
 "Listen," said Dick, "may be they will come 
 back with their men. If they can't capture us 
 they will starve us into submission." 
 
 "I'm going to see whether our food is there," 
 said Fred, as he walked toward the cupboard. As 
 he was half way there a hand was placed on his 
 shoulder, and turning around he saw Bob. 
 
 "Don't go there," cautioned Bob quietly in a 
 whisper. 
 
 Dick refrained from asking questions and 
 walked back to the boys. In a few words Bob told 
 them how he had seen the shadow of a man fall 
 upon the window. 
 
 "We're being watched," said Dick at length. 
 
 "We are and I'm going to see who's here," said 
 Bob determinedly, and he opened the door and 
 crept softly out. 
 
 He was out but a few minutes when there came 
 the sound of a scuffle and a solitary shot. The
 
 The Outlaws Balked 85 
 
 boys rushed out in time to see Bob rise from the 
 ground. 
 
 "Bob, what's the trouble?" they shouted. 
 
 "I saw a man looking in at the window, and I 
 asked him what he wanted. He jumped at me and 
 pulled out his gun and shot." 
 
 "Did he hit you!" asked Dick anxiously. 
 
 "Do you see any marks on me," asked Bob, 
 "I guess he got the worst of it, I knocked the gun 
 back and the bullet went into his hand." 
 
 "Who was it?" asked Sandy. 
 
 * ' He was our friend, the outlaw. ' ' 
 
 After this Dick and Sandy proposed to go in 
 and see how their patient was progressing. They 
 went in and saw the man staring wildly around 
 him. As the boys entered the room he tried to get 
 up but sank back with a groan of pain. 
 
 "How did I get here!" he asked in bewilder- 
 ment. 
 
 "We brought you," laughed Dick good- 
 naturedly. 
 
 The man kept silence and the boys went out 
 again. 
 
 "Well, at any rate, we know that he won't die," 
 said Bob.
 
 86 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 After lunch they all went into the woods. When 
 they came back they saw some one snooping 
 around the cabin. They rushed at him and what 
 was their surprise to see the man called "Bill." 
 
 ' * So you came back, did you ! ' ' asked Dick, " Fll 
 make you wish you never had. ' * 
 
 They brought him in and tied him after a long 
 tussle. 
 
 "We'd better not take any chances with him," 
 said Sandy, "he ought to be in jail." 
 
 "Yes, two of us can take him there," said Bob, 
 "Sandy and myself will go." 
 
 They soon started and in a little while were out 
 of sight. 
 
 In three hours they returned and said that 
 "Bill" was safely lodged in jail. They went back 
 into the woods but were near enough the cabin to 
 see if anybody came there. In about five minutes 
 they saw some one come around the side of the 
 house. 
 
 "My, but I wish they would leave me alone," 
 grumbled Sandy. 
 
 They sneaked out and threw the person that 
 was snooping about down on his face. As they 
 were going through the task of tying him, Dick
 
 The Outlaws Balked 87 
 
 suddenly gave a cry and started to cut the knot. 
 As the boys tried to make him stop he flung them 
 aside. When the knots were untied the newcomer 
 arose and smiled sheepishly. The boys stood 
 paralyzed, for there facing them stood George 
 Bedney. 
 
 "Why, hello George," Fred managed to blurt 
 out at last. 
 
 "Why, what's the matter," said George, "you 
 stand there like a flock of dummies. ' ' 
 
 This brought the boys to action and they rushed 
 forward eagerly to shake hands. They asked 
 George why he had come, and he answered, "I 
 mean to stay with you for awhile if you'll let 
 me." 
 
 "We have only one more week but you can 
 stay with us during that time," said Dick. 
 
 "You must be hungry, though?" answered 
 Fred. 
 
 "I surely am," was the reply. 
 
 They put some food on the table and George 
 soon announced that he was full. After this they 
 sat down and George told them what he had done 
 since they left him. As he told them they heard 
 a thundering of horses ' hoofs and Bob ran to the
 
 88 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 door and peered anxiously out of it. 
 
 "Boys," he called out excitedly, "here comes 
 the outlaw and he has more than twenty men with 
 him. They mean business this time."
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 A NARROW ESCAPE 
 
 "Well," said Sandy, after this startling 
 exclamation, * ' if they are going to fight let them. ' ' 
 
 "George," said Bob, turning to their friend, 
 ' ' if they see you here they will kill you for leaving 
 their camp. ' * 
 
 "I'll stick with you," was the determined 
 answer. 
 
 The boys were glad to see that the yellow streak 
 that was in him before had entirely vanished. 
 
 "Well we may as well face it," said Dick, 
 grimly, going to the door. 
 
 The horsemen stopped quite a way from the 
 cabin, not caring to take chances with the boys. 
 As Dick and his chums appeared the outlaw cap- 
 tain called to them and said, "You see I said we 
 wanted you and we are going to have you. ' ' 
 
 ' ' Not without a fight, ' ' came the cool answer. 
 
 "No! we'll see," grinned the outlaw, as he 
 whispered something to his men. 
 
 89
 
 90 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 The boys ran for the cabin, and just as they 
 barred the door a fusilade of bullets flattened 
 themselves against it. Each boy took a gun and 
 as they went to the window gripped it tighter. 
 Fred ventured to peek out but was met by a hail of 
 bullets. The boys started to fire in return and the 
 men withdrew. 
 
 "It's going to be easy," grinned George, 
 " there's so many of them that some of them are 
 bound to be hit. ' ' 
 
 The men advanced again, and one of them held 
 up his hand. 
 
 "I wonder what he wants," mused Sandy. 
 
 As the boys appeared at the window the man 
 said, "This is your last chance. Are you going 
 to give up?" 
 
 "We haven't begun to fight yet," grimaced Dick. 
 
 The man went away and the boys dropped 
 again. A moment later and a hail of bullets flat- 
 tened on the window sill. Dick fired and one man 
 dropped from his horse. 
 
 "Fire sure," he said, "there's no need in wast- 
 ing bullets." 
 
 Bob fired three times and another man dropped. 
 When the boys stopped to reload their guns four
 
 A Narrow Escape 91 
 
 men lay on the ground. After the second batch 
 of ammunition was used, they counted seven men 
 lying about and three more were badly wounded. 
 The men withdrew and Bob said, ' ' They are going 
 away; I suppose they are afraid of our little 
 guns, ' ' and he laughed merrily. 
 
 The men had drawn out of range, and now one 
 of them came forward, and asked to bury their 
 dead. The boys agreed and the men set about 
 their grim task. When they were through, the 
 whole group left. 
 
 "That's another bunch of cut- throats we are 
 through with," laughed Bob, but could he have 
 foretold the future he would not have spoken so 
 lightly. 
 
 They went into the woods for awhile but soon 
 came back again. The next day was uneventful, 
 and the boys went to sleep with the belief that they 
 would be left alone in the future, but this was not 
 so. 
 
 "Now that we haven't got that sick man on our 
 hands, we can do something," said Bob, for the 
 man had been transferred over to the outlaws 
 before. 
 
 They all awoke early next morning and set about
 
 92 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 their usual tasks. After eating a meal, which con- 
 sisted of ham and eggs and hot coffee, they 
 stretched themselves out, and said they were just 
 in the mood of adventures and these they were 
 going to have. George went out to cut wood, but 
 in five minutes came running back again, excitedly 
 beaming from his face. 
 
 " What's the matter?" asked the boys, gather- 
 ing around him. 
 
 "As I am cutting wood," began George, "I 
 heard voices." 
 
 ' * What, ' ' gasped Bob, ' ' I thought we were going 
 to be left alone for a little while." 
 
 "I stopped to listen," said George, taking no 
 heed of the interruption, * ' and I heard one of them 
 say 'are you sure it's going to be safe!' 'Sure,' 
 replied the other, 'they won't suspect.' 'I don't 
 like this job,' went on the first voice, 'it's too tick- 
 lish.' 'Yes, but the kids will never know. Every- 
 thing is fixed up against the cabin and all we have 
 to do is to light it and pooh ! the kids will go sky- 
 high.' 'I'll teach them to kill my men/ a third 
 voice now said, 'I'll hold them for ransom if I 
 die trying it.' They walked away then, and that'i 
 all I know."
 
 A Narrow Escape 93 
 
 "The wretches," gasped Sandy, "they meant to 
 blow us sky high." 
 
 1 ' We won 't give them a chance to, ' ' gritted Dick. 
 They went out and by a careful search discovered 
 a pile of shavings drenched with oil. 
 
 "So this is the noise I heard," said Fred, look- 
 ing at the shavings, as though he expected them to 
 get up and run away. 
 
 "Why, what do you mean by that?" asked Dick. 
 
 "Two nights ago," began Fred, "I woke early 
 in the morning and heard a scraping sound over 
 here. I never thought anything about it then, but 
 this must have been what the wretches were 
 doing. ' ' 
 
 They went to the cabin again, resolved to keep a 
 guard after that. The day passed without further 
 adventures, and the boys thought the men had 
 left, so they did not have a guard that night. At 
 about four o 'clock in the morning they awoke and 
 heard some one prowling about outside. Spring- 
 ing out of bed they ran to the door, and threw it 
 open. As they opened it some one rushed into 
 the woods. 
 
 "He must have been disappointed," smiled 
 Fred to his chums.
 
 94 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 They closed the door once more, and quickly 
 dressed. They ran outside, and hunted around on 
 the ground to see if they could find the footprints 
 of a man. After a short search they once more 
 turned toward the cabin, and as they entered 
 Fred shook his fist toward the woods, and as he 
 did so a loud guffaw broke from a clump of trees, 
 and then there came a scrambling in the brush. 
 
 " After them boys," called Fred, "we might be 
 able to capture the rascals." 
 
 The boys needed no second bidding, but were off 
 like a shot. They could hear the men running and 
 got on their trail. They kept it for a way and 
 then lost it. After a short search George pointed 
 to the ground, where they could see the footprints 
 of a man. 
 
 * ' Come on, ' > yelled George, and they once more 
 started in hot pursuit. After a little while they 
 lost the trail again, and were unable to find it. 
 After a search of a good half hour the boys started 
 to go back to the cabin again. 
 
 As they walked along the peaceful quiet was 
 broken by a sharp cry, "Help! Help!" and it 
 ended with a groan!
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 OUTWITTING A EOBBER 
 
 As that cry broke out over the still night, the 
 boys stopped short in their tracks and gazed at 
 each other in consternation. 
 
 "Some one want's help, and we're going to give 
 it to them," said Bob, "the cry* came from over 
 that way." 
 
 The five boys all darted the way indicated by 
 Bob and were soon hurrying along. After a walk 
 of nearly two minutes they came upon a cabin. 
 They crept up and looked into the window. What 
 they saw made them fairly gasp for breath. For 
 there on his knees was an old man, and over him 
 a younger man was bending grasping him by the 
 hair. 
 
 "Tell me where the money is, or I'll kill you," 
 threatened the young man. 
 
 "I haven't any money, I told you," cried the 
 old man, in trembling tones. 
 
 "We can't see that old man tortured," said 
 
 95
 
 96 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 Dick angrily, "I'm going to stop it right now." 
 
 They all advanced to the door which hy good 
 luck was open. They stepped into the room, but 
 the young man did not notice them until he was 
 hurled half way across the room. 
 
 "Get out of here, boy/' cautioned the man, "or 
 I might have to hurt you. 
 
 "You'll get out of here before I do," said Dick, 
 without flinching. 
 
 "Yes," snarled the man, "we'll see about that," 
 and he advanced three steps, but had he intended 
 to frighten Dick he was mistaken, and on seeing 
 the fiery flash in Dick's eyes the man shrank back. 
 
 "Don't let him do anything to me," implored 
 the old man, in trembling tones. 
 
 "He won't do anything while we are here," said 
 Dick, with a grim smile. 
 
 "I won't, eh," sneered the man, "I'll see," and 
 he raised his fist threateningly. But Dick ad- 
 vanced and grabbing the man's wrist soon had him 
 howling for mercy. Bob now advanced and 
 together the two boys managed to tie the young 
 man. 
 
 "What was he doing to you?" Bob asked the 
 old man.
 
 Outwitting a Robber 97 
 
 "He wanted my money," replied the old man, 
 "although I put it in the bank yesterday. I told 
 him so but he wouldn't believe me." 
 
 Bob went back to the young man and asked him, 
 "What have you got to say for yourself?" 
 
 "Nothing," came back the surly reply, "but 
 what are you going to do with me?" 
 
 "Put you in jail, of course, where you belong," 
 said Bob, and then the man, as he said later, for 
 the first time in his life burst out weeping. 
 
 "Why, what's the matter?" asked Bob kind of 
 surprised. 
 
 "I've never been in jail before," said the man, 
 "I wish I had never turned bad," and burst out 
 crying again. 
 
 After a little while he inquired, "Won't you 
 leave me go this time? I'll promise to turn over a 
 good leaf." 
 
 Bob turned to the old man and he nodded. 
 
 "If you promise to turn over a good leaf we'll 
 leave you go," said Bob. 
 
 "I surely will," was the hearty exclamation, 
 "God bless you, boy." 
 
 They untied the man's bonds and he rose. He 
 went towards the door, and then the old man
 
 98 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 pushed an envelope into his hand. 
 
 "Here,** he said, "this may help you.'* 
 
 The young man went to the door and then waved 
 his hand as a good-by to the little group, and he 
 then dashed into the woods. 
 
 "I hope that he turns over a good leaf," said 
 Bob, thoughtfully. 
 
 He was cut short by the old man, who said, 
 ' * Well my boys you came just in time and I want 
 to reward you." 
 
 1 'We never saved you for a reward," was the 
 answer. 
 
 "I'm sure of that," said the old man, "but take 
 it." 
 
 After the man was convinced that they would 
 take no money, Bob called his chums, and they all 
 left the cabin. 
 
 "Well, we got there just in time," laughed 
 George, "and I'm glad we got to be of help." 
 
 They reached their hut and then Fred reminded 
 them of breakfast. 
 
 "Why, yes, the excitement of the early morning 
 made us forget all about that," said the other 
 boys. 
 
 "Yes, and I'm as hungry as a bear," said
 
 Outwitting a Robber 99 
 
 Sandy, suddenly recalling an important fact. 
 
 Breakfast was soon fixed and they put it down 
 at a great rate. After breakfast was over Dick 
 said, "Boys, we have only four more days here, 
 so let's make the best of them." 
 
 This was met by a groan, and George said, "I 
 wish that I knew what good fellows you were 
 before. I wouldn't have stuck around Sam for 
 an instant." 
 
 "Oh, shut up about Sam," grinned Fred, "you 
 are not with him now." 
 
 The boys played pranks on each other for a 
 long time and then sat down to a good lunch. After 
 lunch they went to the woods and stayed there for 
 awhile. 
 
 The four days passed altogether too quickly for 
 the boys, and when they had to go they were very 
 sorry. They all started for town, and when they 
 got there they all went up to Bob's home. As they 
 went into the yard, Mr. Morris ran up and gave 
 them all a hearty welcome. They went into the 
 kitchen and were all given a motherly embrace by 
 Bob's mother. While Mrs. Morris was fixing 
 something for them to eat, Mr. Morris asked, 
 
 "Now, son, tell me about your adventures, for
 
 100 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 I'm bound that you had some lively ones." 
 
 The boys told all their adventures, and Mr. 
 Morris whistled softly. After they were through 
 he asked, "Are you sure you aren't fooling me 
 about those ransomers, or outlaws?" 
 
 "No that's just like it was," was the emphatic 
 answer. 
 
 "Well, I'm going to have that place wiped out," 
 replied Mr. Morris, grimly. 
 
 The boys were now called upon to eat, and this 
 they did. George called the meal he finished one 
 of the best he had ever eaten. 
 
 "You can't beat mother and her cooking," 
 laughed Bob. 
 
 After breakfast the boys strolled around the 
 farm, showing George the sights. The next day 
 Sandy went home, and when he got on the train 
 leaving, he left some sorrowful friends behind 
 him. The next morning Bob asked George what 
 he intended to do. "I don't know," was the 
 answer, "I guess I'll go to the hotel here." 
 
 As George went out, Bob came up to his father 
 and asked, "Dad, George never has had a real 
 chance. Why don't you adopt him we have 
 plenty of room.
 
 Outwitting a Robber 101 
 
 "If you want him here, I'll adopt him, my boy," 
 came the kind answer. 
 
 When George came in again he could hardly 
 believe the good fortune, but when he found it was 
 really true, he turned to Bob and said, "Pm not 
 going to say much, but you know how grateful I 
 am." 
 
 "Don't talk about it," was the warm reply. 
 
 Nothing happened during the day, but that night 
 Fred went out alone. As he was wondering what 
 he should do, he saw a man coming down the 
 street. Fred gazed at him, and then gave a start, 
 for he had recognized Mr. Harding. But the man 
 recognized him at almost the same instant. He 
 turned around and started to run with Fred after 
 him. 
 
 ' ' If Dick or someone was only with me, we might 
 be able to capture him, but I can't do anything 
 alone," thought Fred, as he ran. He was soon 
 reinforced, for as he turned another corner he saw 
 a well dressed gentleman standing near a lamp- 
 post. Running up to him, Fred tapped his shoul- 
 der, and now he was destined to a surprise, for 
 the man was no other than the robber they had let 
 go and who promised to turn over a good leaf.
 
 102 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Help me catch him,'* was all Fred could say, 
 and he darted away again, with the man right on 
 his heels. Mr. Harding ran down a narrow street 
 and then ducked into a building. Fred and his 
 companion passed by, and it was soon clear to 
 them that they had lost him. They soon came 
 back, and just as they started to go by the build- 
 ing where Mr. Harding had taken refuge, Fred 
 gave his companion a violent shove backwards. 
 It was lucky he did, for an instant later a great 
 iron pot was smashed to pieces on the sidewalk, 
 and had the young man not been thrown back- 
 wards it would have ground his brains into 
 powder!
 
 CHAPTER XHI 
 A DARING ESCAPE 
 
 When the man picked himself up again and saw 
 what had happened they both started up the stairs. 
 They heard a shuffling near the top and so hur- 
 ried there. Just as they reached the top, a door 
 slammed and they bolted for this. Throwing all 
 their weight against the door it caved in. 
 
 But where was Mr. Harding for the room was 
 empty ! 
 
 They ran to the window by which stood a tree, 
 and could see him just reaching the ground. 
 
 "I wouldn't take a dare on this tree," shivered 
 Fred. He touched a branch and it quivered and 
 broke in half. 
 
 When they got to the ground they looked up 
 and down the street but could see nothing, so 
 they started back the way them came. 
 
 "You see that I made good," said the man. 
 
 "I should say you have," said Fred, "tell me 
 about it." 
 
 103
 
 104 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ' ' There is nothing to it, ' ' replied the man mod- 
 estly, "but when I came here I bought some new 
 clothes and got a job at the factory. But I never 
 told you my name it's William Pierson." 
 
 "And mine's Fred Turner," replied Fred. 
 
 They soon came to where they had to part and 
 Fred walked on alone. In an hour Fred arrived 
 at Mr. Morris ' house and went in. 
 
 "Where have you been, Fred?" asked Dick, 
 anxiously. 
 
 Fred told his story and Dick observed, * ' So Mr. 
 Harding is here in town. That means that Sam is 
 here too." 
 
 "Yes, and it all means trouble," said Bob who 
 had come up and heard the last of the talk. 
 
 They went to bed, and the next morning when 
 they sat down to breakfast, Mr. Morris was not 
 there. 
 
 "Where is father?" Bob asked. 
 
 * ' I don 't know, ' ' Mrs. Morris replied, * ' he hasn 't 
 been here this morning. He wasn't in bed this 
 morning either." 
 
 "Not in bed!" gasped all the boys. 
 
 "Good-by, boys, I'm going to dad's office," 
 called out Bob, "he might be there."
 
 A Daring Escape 105 
 
 "Bob! Bob! eat your breakfast first," called 
 out Mrs. Morris. 
 
 Bob returned and in fifteen minutes all the boys 
 were riding towards Mr. Morris' office, and when 
 they got there they saw Mr. Freeman, the hired 
 man, sitting down at his desk. 
 
 "Is dad here!" asked Bob anxiously. 
 
 "Why, no," said Mr. Freeman, "I'm waiting 
 for him to come." 
 
 The boys all went out again and here they met 
 an old seadog. 
 
 "Looking for your father?" he asked kindly. 
 
 "Yes, did you see him?" asked Bob. 
 
 ' ' I saw him go into his office about an hour ago, ' ' 
 was the startling reply. 
 
 "You did?" asked Bob incredulously. 
 
 "Yes, and there seems to be something mighty 
 funny to me," replied the old sailor. 
 
 "Tell us about it," said the boys, breathlessly. 
 
 "Well, I reckon that I will," said the old salt, 
 "I was sitting here, and I saw your father go up 
 to his office. About five minutes later some tough 
 looking men went up there, and all of a sudden 
 there was a shot. I got up and ran over there, 
 and I met those two men coming out. 'What's the
 
 106 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 matter?' asked one of them. 'I heard a shot up 
 here, ' said I. * You must have been mistaken, ' said 
 the other, we just came down and we never heard 
 anything. y I came back over here then. ' ' 
 
 Bob asked, "Did they have anything with 
 them!" 
 
 * * They were carrying something wrapped up in 
 canvas," was the answer. 
 
 "What was their description?'* 
 
 This was told them and Bob turned to the boys 
 and said, "I guess you know who it is now." 
 
 "Sam Harding's father," echoed the boys. 
 
 They thanked the old sailor, and then they 
 walked off. 
 
 They rode back to their house, and Bob told his 
 mother about it. 
 
 "I'm not afraid, for I know that you will find 
 him," she said quietly. They went out again, 
 and Bob asked, "Hadn't we better notify the 
 police?" 
 
 "Yes, and I'm going to do it," replied Dick. 
 
 They went to the police station and told their 
 story. After getting a promise that they would 
 attend to it later, they went out into the street 
 asrain.
 
 A Daring Escape 107 
 
 "They most naturally would have gone out of 
 the county, " said George. 
 
 ''Hadn't we better go back and ask the old 
 sailor V suggested Fred. 
 
 They went back and the old sailor showed them 
 the way they had gone. 
 
 "Just as I thought," muttered George, "that's 
 the way to the woods. ' ' 
 
 "What do you mean?" the boys asked. 
 
 "They must have brought him to their cabin. 
 They meant to keep the secret away from me at 
 first, but I found the cabin and they had to let 
 me in," said George. 
 
 ' ' That must have been it, ' ' said Bob, slowly. 
 
 They set off to the woods and soon reached it. 
 They cut through it and after a long walk came 
 upon the cabin. They cautiously approached, but 
 on peeking in, were chagrined to find it empty. 
 
 "They never came here that's a fact," said 
 Fred. 
 
 "Yes, but there is some place in the woods," 
 rejoined George. 
 
 "I wish that " but the sentence was never fin- 
 ished, for Bob suddenly gave a yell and pointed 
 to the ground.
 
 108 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 They ran to him and there on the ground they 
 could see some freshly made tracks. 
 
 "They came this way," said Bob, excitedly. 
 
 They followed the prints for a way, and soon 
 they heard some voices. They went to the spot 
 the voices came from and there they could see the 
 two men sitting around a fire. 
 
 "I wonder where dad is," said Bob, "I wonder 
 if he is in that tent!" 
 
 "I'm going to see," answered George, slowly. 
 
 "How can you get there?" they asked. 
 
 He cut away from them, and soon was at the 
 very background of the tent. He sneaked up and 
 the boys breathed an inward prayer. 
 
 "That's risky business," remarked Bob. 
 
 At last George succeeded in making the tent 
 without being caught. He raised the flap and saw 
 Mr. Morris lying on the ground in the interior. 
 He slowly made his way back to the boys and told 
 them that he was there. 
 
 ' ' One of us had better stay here, while the others 
 go for the police," whispered Fred. 
 
 George was voted to stay, and the other boys 
 went to town. 
 
 As half an hour passed, and the boys did not
 
 A Daring Escape 109 
 
 come back, George started to get nervous. He 
 heard the men talking and one of them said, "I'm 
 going to have a smoke now, Ted, want to join me 
 in one?" 
 
 "No," growled Ted, "I have enough trouble 
 keeping those pesky kids away." 
 
 George was kneeling down in the brush, just 
 peering over, when there came a quick step behind 
 him, something hit his head and then came dark- 
 ness!
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 A MYSTERIOUS LETTER 
 
 Returning to the boys who went back to town. 
 They reached it in an hour, and went to the police 
 station. After telling their story the officers said 
 they would have to wait a little while. They waited 
 for half an hour and then two policemen came up 
 to them and the group started back to where they 
 had left George. After an hour's walk they came 
 upon the spot where they had left him, but there 
 was no sign of George or the camp. 
 
 They searched all around, and then one of the 
 policemen came upon the fire, which was just 
 smouldering. 
 
 "Some one's been here, that's certain," he said, 
 "and it wasn't very long ago, either." 
 
 After getting on the men's tracks, the boys fol- 
 lowed them for quite a distance. Soon however 
 they came upon a dry place, and here they lost the 
 trail. They searched around for awhile, but they 
 still could not find the men's tracks. After a half 
 
 no
 
 A Mysterious Letter 111 
 
 hour search they turned back once more. When 
 they had scarcely gone ten feet Boh stopped and 
 said, "I'm not going back to town without George 
 and father." 
 
 "Neither will we then," said Fred and Dick, 
 stepping up to Bob's side. 
 
 "Oh, come on," grumbled the policemen, "you 
 can't find them. We are going back to town." 
 
 "Go on," grimly said Fred, "we're not." 
 
 The men argued a little longer and then plunged 
 into the woods and were soon lost to sight. 
 
 "I'm glad that they are gone," smiled Bob, 
 "they're cowards." 
 
 "They are cowards," snorted Dick, angrily. 
 
 "Yes, but if we intend to find your father, we 
 had better hurry," broke in Fred just then. 
 
 They searched awhile longer, and suddenly Fred 
 gave a cry, 
 
 "They fooled us," he yelled, "they went back 
 again instead of going forward." 
 
 The other two boys stood and gaped at him. 
 
 "Why, you must be right," blurted out Bob at 
 length. 
 
 They retraced their steps, and a little later saw 
 the men's tracks leading back. They gave a cry
 
 112 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 of exultation and hurried along at a faster pace. 
 After a few minutes Dick said, "I'll bet that 
 they went back to the cabin." Bob nodded, and 
 they hurried on once more. 
 
 It is now time to turn back to George. 
 
 ****** 
 
 When George came back to himself he saw the 
 leering face of Sam bending over him. 
 
 "So you will try to spy on us," he hissed. 
 
 George attempted to rise, and for the first time 
 he noticed that he was tied. Just then Mr. Hard- 
 ing came to the tent and bending over George, 
 cut the ropes that bound him. George rose and 
 at first swayed dizzily, but in a minute got back 
 his strength. 
 
 "If you don't make any fuss, we'll not hurt you, 
 but on your first attempt to escape we are going 
 to do it," Harding said. 
 
 "I guess that I'll not trying anything," coolly 
 replied George. 
 
 After Mr. Harding had left Sam said with a 
 sneer, "Don't you wish you had stayed with us!" 
 
 "No," thundered out George, "I'm sorry I 
 stayed with you as long as I did." 
 
 Sam started to make a remark, but on seeing
 
 A Mysterious Letter 113 
 
 George's fiery eyes, he thought better of it and 
 turned away. 
 
 In a few minutes Mr. Harding came back in and 
 motioned for George to come outside. He fol- 
 lowed and then noticed that the men were making 
 preparations for moving. The tent was taken down 
 and stored away, and then all the group started. 
 Two men were carrying Mr. Morris who was now 
 beginning to show signs of consciousness. They 
 walked for a way, and then Sam asked, "Hadn't 
 we better go back on our tracks, it might fool any- 
 body who might be following us." 
 
 "That's about the only sensible thing you ever 
 said," gritted out George bitterly. 
 
 Mr. Morris had opened his eyes now and was 
 staring around wildly. As his eye fell on Sam he 
 seemed to remember everything. The two men 
 put him down on his feet, and at first he stag- 
 gered weakly. In a few minutes however he had 
 regained strength enough to walk. He went over 
 to George and the trip was then resumed. Mr. 
 Morris turned on George and said bitterly, "I 
 know why you always went with my son now, but 
 thank goodness he's out of your reach." 
 
 "I'm not with them, I have been captured my-
 
 114 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 self," replied George, "the other boys have gone 
 back to town to get constables to help them." 
 
 After Mr. Morris was assured of this he begged 
 George's pardon. After a walk of five more 
 minutes, they suddenly came upon the men's 
 cabin. Before entering the men tied George and 
 Mr. Morris and threw them both into a corner. 
 They stayed in this position for half an hour or 
 more and then suddenly George glanced toward 
 the window. His heart leapt into his mouth, for 
 he could see the features of Bob outlined against 
 the window pane. The men were playing cards 
 while Sam watched them, and the boys were not 
 seen. 
 
 The three boys outside were now talking. 
 
 "They are in there sure enough," called Bob, 
 softly, as he dropped from the window. 
 
 "But how can we get them," woefully asked 
 Dick, "we can't go in there and just say that we 
 want them." 
 
 "I'll fix that," grinned Fred, displaying two 
 pistols. 
 
 "Where in the world did you get them?" asked 
 Bob in amazement. 
 
 "While those two policemen were arguing with
 
 A Mysterious Letter 115 
 
 us, and trying to get us to go back to town, you 
 noticed that I got near up to them, didn't you?" 
 
 "Yes," agreed the two boys. 
 
 "Well, while I was near them I got their two 
 guns out of their holsters." 
 
 "I could kiss you for that," smiled Dick, and 
 he and Bob took hold of the guns and slowly 
 advanced to the cabin. 
 
 They stepped into the room, and as their shad- 
 ows darkened the doorway the men sprang up. 
 They reached for their guns, but before they could 
 touch them a bullet sang over their heads. 
 
 "That's just a warning," grunted Bob, "leave 
 those guns alone." 
 
 Fred advanced and got the guns and thus com- 
 pletely disarmed the men. 
 
 After this Fred advanced to George and Mr. 
 Morris and cut the ropes that bound them. All 
 took a gun and leveled them at the men's heads. 
 
 "Come along here," ordered Mr. Morris 
 sternly. 
 
 The men cursed under their breath but ad- 
 vanced slowly. With the men in front of them 
 the whole group started towards the town. In a 
 little while they all heard a body fall behind them.
 
 116 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 The eyes of all were distracted for a moment, 
 and the men and Sam seizing the opportunity 
 sprung into the woods. Dick turned just in time 
 to see them all disappearing into the woods. He 
 fired at them and a groan of pain came from Sam. 
 
 "I guess Sam won't forget me in a hurry," 
 Dick said grimly. 
 
 He turned back and saw Bob just rising from 
 the ground. 
 
 "Let the men go," said Mr. Morris, and then 
 turning to Bob he asked, "Anything the matter?" 
 
 "I've sprained my ankle," said Bob weakly. 
 
 They picked him up and carried him into town. 
 After a long time they reached Mr. Morris ' home, 
 and Mrs. Morris came running out 
 
 She fell around her husband's neck, and then 
 turned all her attention to Bob. He was carried 
 in and laid on the couch. Mrs. Morris then came 
 back and said, "Dick, here's a letter that came 
 for you about three minutes ago it was slipped 
 under the door." 
 
 They crowded around him while he tore it open. 
 He read it and then turned to them and smiled. 
 
 "Read it to us," said Mr. Morris, "don't keep 
 us in suspense any longer."
 
 A Mysterious Letter 117 
 
 Dick read the letter, which said: 
 
 "Next time it won't be so easy to get away. 
 Next time we get you it means death. We'll get 
 you Dick for shooting Sam." 
 
 There was no signature, but they did not have 
 to be told who it was from. 
 
 "We'd better not be captured again," laughed 
 George, as he threw the note into the fire. 
 
 The afternoon passed uneventfully, and the 
 boys went to sleep that night with nothing on their 
 minds. About midnight they were awakened bj 
 hearing some one moving about down stairs. They 
 got out of bed but Mr. Morris called up to them, 
 "Don't worry, it's only me.'* 
 
 They went back to bed and were just dozing 
 off again when they heard a scuffle down stairs, 
 and then a sharp shot rang out over the still air!
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 THE EIDDLE OF THE BOATHOUSE 
 
 The boys were out of bed in a flash and were 
 running downstairs. Here they met Mrs. Morris 
 who was wringing her hands and crying. 
 
 "I dread to go in there," she shivered. 
 
 The boys went to the door of Mr. Morris' room 
 and threw it open. It was empty ! 
 
 They went to the room that Mr. Morris used for 
 his home office and threw that open. They turned 
 on the light, and there lying on the floor in a pool 
 of blood was Mr. Morris. Mrs. Morris ran to the 
 telephone and soon Dr. Mathews, the doctor, 
 entered the room. He bent over the wounded man, 
 and looked him over. He was put in bed and the 
 boys anxiously awaited the doctor's answer as 
 to whether Mr. Morris would live or not. After 
 a restless half hour of waiting, the doctor came 
 softly down stairs, followed by Mrs. Morris. 
 They rushed to the doctor and breathlessly asked, 
 "Will he get well," 
 
 118
 
 Riddle of the Boathouse 119 
 
 "I can't say as to that," was the doctor's ver- 
 dict, "a fraction of an inch more and he would 
 have died outright. He may die in a short while, 
 or he may linger for a few months, but there may 
 be a chance that he will get well, but he must have 
 quiet. ' ' 
 
 "We'll see that he gets it," murmured the boys. 
 
 After the doctor was gone the boys grabbed 
 what little sleep was left before morning. The 
 next morning they moved around quietly for fear 
 of making any noise. The next three days passed 
 quickly and the doctor 's face was very grave. On 
 the fourth day, however, while they were waiting 
 for the doctor to come down they saw him coming, 
 while behind him came Mrs. Morris wreathed in 
 smiles. 
 
 The boys went over to the doctor and he said, 
 "Your father would like to see you all." 
 
 They all ran upstairs and burst into the room. 
 Mr. Morris turned over and smiled at them. 
 
 "Boys, I've something important to tell you," 
 he said. The boys waited, and Mr. Morris went 
 on: "I presume you know that my desk was 
 rifled of my papers. One of them was very im- 
 portant. It was an invention that I had fixed.
 
 120 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 It means my fortune if I can only get it back." 
 
 "We'll get it for you," said Bob. 
 
 The doctor came in then, and the boys had to 
 leave. 
 
 They went outside in a very happy but thought- 
 ful frame of mind. There was a new boathouse 
 being built beside the old one. They went into the 
 old boathouse, and here they smelled liquor. 
 
 "Phew," said Fred, in disgust, "somebody has 
 been making this place a hangout." 
 
 "I should say they have," returned Dick; "look 
 here," and he pointed to a pile of cigar stubs. 
 They strolled out again and walked around town. 
 When they returned to the farm they sat down to 
 an appetizing feast. After lunch Bob asked, "I 
 wonder who could have taken dad's paper!" 
 
 "I'd like to get hold of him," gritted Fred, 
 clenching his fists. 
 
 That night after dinner the boys went out once 
 more to town. While strolling along near the old 
 boathouse they suddenly heard a splash of oars 
 and an angry voice talking. "Wky don't you be 
 more careful with those oars?" it said. 
 
 "Boys," said Bob, turning a startled face 
 toward his chums, "I'm going to investigate this
 
 Riddle of the Boathouse 121 
 
 thing. It looks queer to me. ' ' 
 
 They crept up and could see some men getting 
 out of their boat. They softly went up to the old 
 boathouse. By looking in at a window they could 
 see all the men grouped around a lantern. 
 
 "Why, there's a boy," whispered Dick. 
 
 Just then the boy turned for an instant, and our 
 friends recognized the features of Sam Harding. 
 
 They now turned their attention to what the 
 men were saying. One said, i l How much will you 
 sell it to us for?" 
 
 "Ten thousand dollars," said a man whom the 
 boys knew was Mr. Harding. 
 
 "Ten thousand dollars! You must be crazy!" 
 angrily cried another of the three strangers; "we 
 won't pay it." 
 
 "Just look at that," said Mr. Harding, holding 
 the paper up in front of him. 
 
 "That's father's paper," angrily cried Bob. 
 
 "Listen, mow," said Dick, holding up his hand. 
 
 "We'll gire you $2,000 for it," said the first 
 speaker. 
 
 "No." 
 
 "Five thousand dollars?" 
 
 "No."
 
 122 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ' * Not a bit more than $8,000, ' ' sneered the man, 
 angrily. 
 
 After a great deal of haggling Sam's father 
 accepted the offer of $8,000. 
 
 "The villians," muttered Boh. 
 
 The men then brought some whiskey and cigars, 
 and they sat down again and smoked and drank. 
 
 The boys waited for awhile, expecting to hear 
 more information. But as they were about to 
 part, one of the strangers said, "Meet here to- 
 morrow and we'll fix up the deal." 
 
 The boys then started for home and after a 
 long walk reached it. They all sat down and once 
 more waited for the doctor to come down. When 
 he did he told them to go up and see Mr. Morris 
 again. They entered the sick man's room and he 
 turned to them and asked weakly, "Have you 
 found any trace of the papers yet?" Dick was 
 about to launch into full details when a warning 
 glance from Bob stopped him. 
 
 "We have a slight trace of them," answered 
 Bob. They talked a little longer and then the boys 
 went out. That night they once more stole down 
 to the boathouse. After waiting for a while they 
 could hear the whole group coming. They went
 
 Riddle of the Boathouse 123 
 
 into the boathouse and they started to talk once 
 more. 
 
 "Have you got the money?" asked Mr. Hard- 
 ing. This was passed over and Mr. Harding 
 grunted. 
 
 They talked awhile longer in low tones and then 
 they left. 
 
 The boys stole in and searched around. Hardly 
 had they been in two minutes when the door was 
 slammed shut. They rushed to the back door, only 
 to find that locked also. As they stared at each 
 other a peculiar smell filled the air. It was the 
 smell of smoke. As they looked, the boathouse 
 burst into flames before their eyes ! 
 
 "We must find a way out of this," said George 
 when they had somewhat regained their com- 
 posure. 
 
 Dick blurted out, ' ' This is our only way, and it 
 is dangerous, but I'm going to do it." He showed 
 them a hole near the top of the boathouse, and 
 only persons with good eyes could see it. They 
 took all the old boxes they could find and piled 
 them one above the other. Dick climbed on top 
 of these, but still could not touch the hole. 
 
 All of a sudden Bob gave a cry and told his
 
 124 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 scheme to the other boys. He stood under the 
 hole while George stood on his shoulder, then 
 Fred stepped on George's shoulders and Dick 
 climbed on Fred's shoulders. Only boys with good 
 training could do this, but our friends were good 
 at all gymnastics and this helped them. 
 
 Dick was able to grasp at the edge of the hole 
 and pulled himself up. A tramping on the roof 
 told them that he had made it. The air was get- 
 ting hot now and the fire was getting worse. They 
 were soon gasping for breath. 
 
 All of a sudden the door sprung open and a gust 
 of fresh air ran into the boathouse. The boys 
 staggered out and fell on the ground outside. The 
 fire had been seen by the inhabitants of the town, 
 and soon the fire engines came up. A stream of 
 water was soon played into the building. The 
 sheriff came, and when he saw the boys gasping 
 for breath he asked sternly: 
 
 "Do you know who it was set tkis boathouse 
 on fire?" 
 
 "Sure," said Dick, and he told them who it was. 
 
 "You don't expect me to believe that, do you?" 
 asked the sheriff with a laugh. 
 
 "I sure do," answered Dick, growing angry.
 
 Riddle of the Boathouse 125 
 
 "Don't lie, you might as well say you did it 
 and be through. ' ' 
 
 Just then a cry came from the crowd, and look- 
 ing toward the building they saw that the fire was 
 extinguished. 
 
 "Come in here with me," commanded the 
 sheriff. 
 
 Dick muttered something under his breath, but 
 nevertheless followed the sheriff. When they got 
 in the sheriff looked all around. 
 
 "Ah, just as I thought," he said in a gutteral 
 voice, and held up to view some cigar and cigar- 
 ette stubs. 
 
 "Smoking, eh?" he asked with a sneer; "you 
 had better come with me. ' ' 
 
 Dick started to protest, but was silenced by the 
 sheriff. The boys followed him to his office, and 
 here the sheriff turned on them and said, "How 
 did that fire start?" 
 
 Bob told the same tale as Dick had, and then the 
 sheriff asked, "Locked in, eh? Well, I'll have to 
 see about this. ' ' 
 
 After an investigation things were soon fixed 
 with the sheriff and they started for home. Next 
 morning they awoke late, went outside, and did
 
 126 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 not have a chance to see their father. They went 
 out into the country, and as they were walking 
 along suddenly Bob gave a cry and pointed to an 
 approaching buggy. 
 
 ''There's one of the men who bought that docu- 
 ment. I 'm going to get him. ' ' 
 
 As the buggy started to pass them, Bob took a 
 leap and landed on the seat beside the man. 
 
 "Stop this buggy," he ordered, sternly. 
 
 The buggy was stopped, and Bob asked, "Why 
 did you lock that door on us last night?" 
 
 "I don't hit," whimpered the man, cowering. 
 
 "I'm not going to hit you," said Bob scornfully, 
 "but I want my father's document." 
 
 "I haven't got it," said the man boldly. 
 
 "Don't lie we saw the whole transaction." 
 
 "Then catch me," yelled the man, and getting 
 Bob off his guard he gave him a push that sent 
 him headlong into the road. At the same instant 
 he whipped up his horse and dashed off at a great 
 rate of speed. The other three boys ran after him, 
 but the buggy soon left them way behind. They 
 went to town, and as they walked along they 
 suddenly met the man whom they had stopped 
 from robbing the old fellow in the cabin.
 
 Riddle of the Boathouse 127 
 
 They talked for awhile, then of a sudden Bob 
 asked, "Did you see a buggy dash through here 
 about noon?" 
 
 "Why, yes," replied the young man; "I'll tell 
 you about it. I saw it dash through here and I 
 followed it. It went down to the depot and the 
 man driving it bought a ticket to New York." 
 
 The boys stopped and gazed at each other with 
 a surprise that was hard to conceal.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 OFF FOR NEW YORK 
 
 When the man saw the boys look at each other, 
 he stopped short and asked, "Why, is anything 
 the matter?" 
 
 ' * I should think there is, ' ' said Bob, and he told 
 the man all about it. 
 
 "What are you going to do about it?" he asked. 
 
 "I guess I'll go to New York," was the reply. 
 
 "If you go to New York I'll go too," broke in 
 Dick. 
 
 "I don't care who goes," said Bob, with a wry 
 smile. 
 
 "If you don't care who goes, I'll go too," 
 chimed in the young man. 
 
 "You?" asked Bob in surprise; "you have to 
 work, don't you?" 
 
 "Oh, I'm on my vacation; I get two weeks," 
 he added proudly. 
 
 "Then I'll be glad to have you," replied Bob 
 warmly. 
 
 128
 
 Off for New York 129 
 
 It was soon decided that the whole group should 
 go. They went back to Bob's house and told his 
 mother where they were going. 
 
 It was then decided they should go on the next 
 day. The following morning the boys rose early 
 and went in to see their father. They told him 
 where they were going and he urged them to go 
 right away. The boys came downstairs and each 
 had a small bundle of clothes done up. They met 
 Mr. Pier son outside and they started for the de- 
 pot. Three hours later found them in New York. 
 Mr. Pierson showed them around, for he had been 
 in New York before. They first found a cheap 
 hotel, and then they went out onto the street. 
 They were walking around when Bob uttered a 
 sharp cry. 
 
 " There >s that man," Bob whispered, pointing 
 across the street. 
 
 They started after him but he saw them as 
 quickly, and started away in a run. After going 
 a little way they lost him completely. 
 
 "I wish New York wasn't so big," said George, 
 looking about him. 
 
 Nothing more happened, but that night Fred 
 and Dick went out alone. Scarcely had they got-
 
 130 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 ten into the street when they saw the man they 
 were in search of. 
 
 ' ' Let 's follow him, ' * suggested Dick. They fol- 
 lowed him for a way and soon he turned into a 
 dirty, narrow street. They tracked him down 
 here, and soon they saw him turn into a gloomy 
 building. When they came up to it, they saw 
 that it was a cheap restaurant. They looked in 
 and soon the man was joined by two others. 
 
 "All accounted for," laughed Dick softly. 
 
 Just then they saw the other two men rise and 
 go out the back way. They were so busy noting 
 the man that was left that they did not hear steps 
 in back of them until one of the men cried out : 
 
 "What do you mean by watching us?" 
 
 The two boys turned to see the two men glaring 
 down at them. 
 
 "I want that document," said Dick sternly. 
 
 "What document?" returned the men; "we 
 haven't any document." 
 
 "I want my uncle's document," said Dick once 
 more, for Mr. Morris had told him to call him 
 uncle. 
 
 "You're a maniac," said the men, "and you 
 ought to be in the asylum."
 
 Off for New York 131 
 
 "I want that paper, and want it quick," was 
 the determined reply from Dick. 
 
 "Well, you won't get it," yelled the men, and 
 jumping toward the two boys soon had them cap- 
 tured. The man that they had been trailing came 
 out now and helped in their capture. They were 
 soon tied, and going farther down the street they 
 came upon a dark and dreary building. They went 
 in this and went up to the top floor. They entered 
 a room, and the men threw them into a corner. 
 
 "Open your mouths," they ordered. 
 
 The boys refused at first, but the men held their 
 noses until they were compelled to open their 
 mouths for breath. The gag was stuck in and 
 the boys could not talk at all. They took a match 
 and thrust it into a pile of paper. 
 
 "Good-by!" they called mockingly; "we hope 
 you have a good time." The paper was now 
 blazing brightly and the men left. 
 
 The boys tried their utmost to break the rope 
 that bound them. Joy! One of Fred's strands 
 broke. Only one single strand, but it gave him 
 hope. He strained all his muscles and suddenly 
 another strand broke. Then another one. Soon 
 Fred was at liberty. He rushed to the paper and
 
 132 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 stamped the blaze out just in time. He then went 
 over to Dick and untied him. 
 
 ' ' That was a narrow escape, and I owe my life 
 to you," said Dick earnestly, and there was a 
 tremor in his voice. 
 
 ' * You must be getting sick, ' ' grinned Fred ; * * let 
 me feel your pulse.*' 
 
 Dick laughed and the two boys went down to 
 the street. 
 
 "They're gone," said Dick, "so we might as 
 well go back to the hotel." 
 
 As they were passing the restaurant they sud- 
 denly saw Mr. Pierson ahead of them. They ran 
 up to him and Mr. Pierson asked, "Where have 
 you been?" 
 
 They told him, and he replied, "Wait till I get 
 at those two men. I won't do anything to them ! ' ' 
 and he showed them his muscles. They stuck out 
 like bands of iron. While they were going back 
 to the hotel Mr. Pierson said, "I thought of hav- 
 ing the entire police force out looking for you. ' ' 
 
 "No fear of your ever doing that," laughed 
 the two boys; "you know how we can take care 
 of ourselves." 
 
 "I ought to," grinned the young man.
 
 Off for New York 133 
 
 They soon arrived at the hotel and saw the 
 other two boys waiting for them. 
 
 ' ' So the prodigals have returned. Where were 
 you?" asked Bob. 
 
 The story was soon told, and Bob said, "Pm 
 going to keep you two in my sight from now on." 
 
 They soon went to bed and woke early next 
 morning. 
 
 "Well, here's another day's suspense," said 
 Mr. Pierson, with a yawn. 
 
 "Yes, and another day of eating," rejoined Bob 
 with a laugh, as the breakfast bell rang. They 
 sat down to a table and all ate readily. After 
 breakfast was over they all went outside. 
 
 "This is fine," said Bob, as he stretched out on 
 a bench in a park. They shortly went down to the 
 ocean, and Bob said that it was the first time he 
 had ever seen it. "Then you've missed some- 
 thing," said Mr. Pierson ; "I've been a sailor, sail- 
 ing over theee seas too. ' ' 
 
 "Is that where you developed your muscles," 
 asked Bob in admiration. 
 
 After gazing at the ocean for awhile they 
 strolled around the wharves. 
 
 "This is dandy to have this sea-breeze," said
 
 134 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 Bob, inhaling the sweet air. They walked around 
 for awhile and then started to go back to their 
 hotel. 
 
 As they were returning they suddenly heard a 
 piercing scream, and looking back they saw a run- 
 away horse coming down the street at full speed, 
 and in the carriage that the horse was pulling sat 
 a fair girl of about fourteen!
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 A DARING RESCUE 
 
 The boys stared at it, and then they noticed 
 that Dick was not with them. Looking into the 
 street they saw Dick right in the path of the 
 advancing horse that rushed forward like a whirl- 
 wind. His boy chums stared at him with pale 
 faces, as the horse came onward. 
 
 All of a sudden, just as the horse was passing, 
 Dick gave a leap and grasped the horse's bridle. 
 The horse slowed down as the double weight got 
 stronger, but in an instant he was away again. 
 He shook his head and Dick swung back and forth 
 a foot away from the horse's hoofs. The boy 
 chums were running behind, but were unable to 
 catch the horse. 
 
 After a long time of swinging to the bridle, Dick 
 gave a hard jerk, bringing the horse to his knees. 
 The girl was pitched into the street, and some men 
 who were standing around rushed to her. Dick 
 succeeded in quieting the horse and the animal 
 
 135
 
 136 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 stood there trembling all over with cold sweat 
 rolling down its sides. 
 
 Just then an automobile came up and an elderly 
 man jumped out of it. 
 
 "Where's my daughter?" he asked anxiously. 
 
 "She is in my shop," said a fat lady, coming 
 across to them. 
 
 The man rushed over to the lady's shop. Just 
 then a doctor came up, followed by a curious crowd 
 of men and boys. He went into the shop, but 
 came out quickly. 
 
 Dick went up to him and asked, "Is she hurt 
 much?" 
 
 "No," was the reply; "she was only stunned." 
 
 Dick went into the crowd, and at the back joined 
 his chums. They all started to go to the hotel, 
 but had not gone far when a man rushed up to 
 them. 
 
 ' * They want you back there, ' ' he said. 
 
 The boys went back and here they met the girl 'a 
 father. 
 
 "Which one of you saved my girlT" he asked 
 kindly. 
 
 Dick grinned, and would not have gone up if 
 his chums had not pushed him forward. As he
 
 A Daring Rescue 137 
 
 came up the man asked, "Are you the one who 
 saved my little girl?" 
 
 "Well, 'er," stammered Dick, "I was the one 
 who stopped the horse. ' ' 
 
 "I want to reward you," said the man with a 
 smile; "take this," and he held out a roll of bills 
 to the astonished Dick. 
 
 "No, sir, I don't want your money," said Dick, 
 drawing back. 
 
 The man tried to push the bills into Dick's 
 hands, but could not do it. 
 
 "Well then if you are so obstinate," cried the 
 man, "take my card, and if you are ever in trouble 
 call on me." 
 
 Just then the girl rushed up and kissed Dick. 
 Then leaving him fiery red she merrily skipped 
 over to her father. The man turned away with a 
 smile and went over to his automobile. The crowd 
 soon dwindled away and left Dick staring wildly 
 at the disappearing automobile. 
 
 "Who was that man?" asked Bob, coming for- 
 ward. 
 
 Dick looked at the card, which read, "Mr. Har- 
 old J. Brown, Dealer in Stocks and Bonds, Wall 
 Street, New York, N. Y."
 
 138 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 As they went Fred said, ' ' This ought to be good 
 for the newspapers. 'Dick Coleman Rescues Fair 
 Damsel Falls in Love with Her, and is Kissed.' ' 
 
 Dick clenched his fist and said angrily, ' ' If you 
 weren't my chum I would lick you." 
 
 They walked on to the hotel and after a long 
 walk reached it. 
 
 "This is the life for me," said George, throwing 
 himself down on the sofa. 
 
 They soon went down to lunch, and after they 
 were done went outside. After going a little way 
 Dick remembered something that he had le.ft in 
 the hotel and hurried back for it. He got it, and 
 as he was coming downstairs again he saw the man 
 that they were after go into a room underneath 
 theirs. 
 
 "So this is where they live," he mused; "I'm 
 glad they don't know that we are right above 
 them." 
 
 When he got back to his chums he told them 
 what he had seen. 
 
 "Then we ought to be able to get the document 
 soon," said Bob joyfully. 
 
 They walked around all the afternoon and then 
 went back to the hotel. As they sat down to din-
 
 A Daring Rescue 139 
 
 ner they looked all around to see if they could see 
 the man they were after, but he was no place in 
 sight 
 
 "I see that he's afraid to come down and eat," 
 said Bob dryly. 
 
 After dinner they went up to their room and 
 read. At nine o'clock, just as they were going 
 to bed, Bob gave a cry and pointed to a hole in 
 the floor. 
 
 1 'We can see what those men are doing," he 
 said. 
 
 They took turns in looking through and each 
 could see the men looking at a paper. 
 
 Soon the men got up and put the paper under 
 the clock and then the light was turned out. 
 
 "We know where it is at any rate,'* laughed 
 Bob delightedly. 
 
 The boys soon fell asleep and woke late in the 
 morning. After eating a cold breakfast they went 
 out into the street. They walked around for a 
 time, and then went into a restaurant to eat. 
 
 The other boys went back to the hotel, but Dick 
 stayed out longer. Having nothing to do he sud- 
 denly remembered the card he had in his pocket. 
 He got on a street car and after being directed
 
 140 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 several times he reached Wall Street. He was 
 amazed at the bustle of the people as they walked 
 down the street, and he followed them. 
 
 Soon he saw a large building in front of him. 
 The sign on it read, * * Mr. Brown, Dealer in Stocks 
 and Bonds." 
 
 "This must be him," said Dick, as he walked 
 upstairs. He soon came to a room which he saw 
 to be Mr. Brown's. He walked in and here an 
 office boy stopped him. 
 
 "What do you want?" he asked. 
 
 "I want to see Mr. Brown," was the answer. 
 
 Just then Mr. Brown came in, and on seeing 
 Dick shook hands heartily with him. 
 
 They talked for awhile, and then Mr. Brown 
 said, "I hope that you will come to see me soon 
 Alice is wild to see you. ' ' 
 
 Dick got to the hotel just in time to eat dinner. 
 As he and Bob went to their room he saw the door 
 of the room that the men occupied was open. They 
 softly went in and looked under the clock for the 
 
 document, but it was not there ! 
 
 #**** 
 
 After breakfast the next morning they went out 
 and walked around. Dick went by himself, as he
 
 A Daring Rescue 141 
 
 was going to see Mr. Brown's daughter, Alice. 
 He reached the house after a great deal of diffi- 
 culty, and when he first saw it he stood like one 
 in a trance. He had seen many splendid mansions 
 before, but none as pretty as this. He soon got 
 over his spell and walked up to the door. He rang 
 the bell and the door was swung open by Alice 
 herself. 
 
 "I saw you coming," she said, "so I rushed 
 down and opened the door." And then she con- 
 tinued, "Why don't you come in?" for Dick was 
 halting at the threshold. 
 
 Dick went into the mansion scared of every- 
 thing he saw, for it was the first time he had ever 
 been in a house as beautiful as this one. They 
 sat down in a room that Dick thought was about 
 the prettiest in New York. 
 
 Alice noticed his gaze and asked sweetly, 
 "Wouldn't you like to see the house?" 
 
 *'I don't care if I do," was the rather hesitating 
 reply. She showed him the house and Dick de- 
 clared that each room was better than the former 
 one. 
 
 All of a sudden Dick glanced at the clock and 
 said, "Twelve o'clock; I must be going."
 
 142 In ifie Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Won't you eat here today?" asked Miss Alice. 
 
 Dick consented and soon a lunch fit for a king- 
 was brought in. Dick blinked at it for a moment 
 and then at Miss Alice. 
 
 "Pitch right into it," laughed that young lady. 
 
 Dick needed no second urging but went for it. 
 After all had been satisfied, the boy and girl sat 
 down again. They strolled into the park and went 
 back to the mansion. The time flew past and at 
 four o'clock Dick said he must be going. 
 
 Alice expressed her wish for him to come back 
 again, and then Dick left. He strolled along 
 whistling and then got a car and rode down to the 
 wharves. It was growing dark quicker than he 
 expected and darkness soon fell on him. 
 
 "I may as well walk home," he mused; "it isn't 
 so far." 
 
 He strolled along whistling and soon he got out 
 of the wharves. He walked around then glanced 
 at his watch. 
 
 "Why, it's only five o'clock it got dark soon; 
 there must be going to be a storm. ' ' 
 
 He met a sailor and asked him whether there 
 was going to be a storm or not. "No," grinned 
 that individual; "what makes you think so?"
 
 A Daring Rescue 143 
 
 "It's so dark," replied Dick, and walked on. 
 
 Suddenly he went into a dark and cramped 
 street, and he walked along this. As he was half 
 way through however he saw a light in a base- 
 ment. He started to pass it when he heard a low 
 groan which came from someone in agony!
 
 Let us return to the boys that Dick had left. 
 
 "Well, boys," asked Mr. Pierson, "what are 
 we going to do today?" 
 
 "I'll put all that in your hands," said Bob. 
 
 "Then the first thing we'll do is to go to Central 
 Park," answered the young man. 
 
 They started out and after a long walk they 
 reached Central Park. They strolled around look- 
 ing at things and Mr. Pierson asked, "Isn't that 
 your enemy over there?" The boys looked and 
 there they saw Sam Harding and three other men. 
 They came up near, and then saw them joined by 
 another man. Their attention was then attracted 
 by a well-dressed man coming down the walk. One 
 of the men jostled against him and nearly knocked 
 him down. 
 
 "Oh, excuse me," he said. 
 
 "Oh, it's nothing," said the man, with a smile. 
 
 The boys were near now, and they saw another 
 
 144
 
 An Interesting Adventure 145 
 
 of Sam's group go nearer and steal the well- 
 dressed man's watch. 
 
 " Here's a job for us, boys," said Mr. Pierson, 
 advancing. He came up near, and with a powerful 
 sweep of his hand knocked both of the men flat. 
 He jumped on the man who had the watch and 
 started to hammer him. 
 
 "Why, what is the matter here?" asked the 
 well-dressed man in a surprised tone. 
 
 "If you'll look for your watch," said Bob, 
 "you'll see what is the matter." 
 
 The man hastily looked for his watch and when 
 he could not find it the whole situation came to 
 him. 
 
 "You take care of this man and we'll go after 
 the others," called Mr. Pierson, as they all dashed 
 off. 
 
 "They went down this way," called Fred, indi- 
 cating a street. 
 
 They rushed down it and here they could see 
 the robbers running before them. 
 
 They ran on and gained inch by inch. 
 
 "Hurrah!" yelled out George; "at this rate we 
 will soon get them. ' ' 
 
 They soom came upon a crowded thoroughfare, 
 
 \
 
 146 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 when they saw Sam and his gang get in a taxi and 
 drive off. They hailed another taxi and they once 
 more got on the trail. Sam's auto had a sub- 
 stantial lead at first, but now Bob's taxi was 
 crawling up. 
 
 ' ' They 're headed towards Hudson River, ' ' said 
 Mr. Pierson, after riding for twenty minutes; 
 "this is the road towards it." 
 
 They put on extra speed and gained faster. 
 Mr. Pierson 's statement was soon discovered to 
 be true, for before them they could see a narrow 
 streak of glimmering water, and as they got nearer 
 they could see the river. Sam's auto reached 
 there a few minutes before Bob's, and they 
 jumped into a row boat and rowed off. 
 
 The boys saw another boat a little way up the 
 river, and they jumped into this. As they got out 
 into the middle of the river they saw a man shak- 
 ing his fist at them from the shore. 
 
 "He must be the owner of the boat, but we can't 
 help it now," said Mr. Pierson. 
 
 Sam's boat gained on them. Mr. Pierson and 
 Bob, who were rowing, also increased their 
 strokes. They slowly crawled up and were soon 
 in talking distance of the other row boat.
 
 An Interesting Adventure 147 
 
 "Stop tliat boat," called George. 
 
 The men looked around and on seeing the row 
 boat so near they displayed a pistoL 
 
 "Get back there," shouted one, "or we'll 
 shoot!" 
 
 The boys were filled with consternation at the 
 appearance of the pistol and stopped rowing for 
 an instant. But that was long enough for the men 
 to get ahead more. 
 
 "I don't think it's loaded," said Bob; "come 
 on and row." 
 
 They once more seized their oars and swiftly 
 shot down the river. As they were once more get- 
 ting near the other row boat a bullet struck the 
 water ahead of them, sending up a spray. 
 
 "Don't stop rowing," called Bob to Mr. Pier- 
 son ; ' ' the rest of you get down into the boat. ' ' 
 
 The boys fell down into the bottom of the boat 
 which once more shot forward. Another bullet 
 came and struck Bob in the shoulder. He gave a 
 cry of pain and nearly let his oar drop into the 
 water. Fred sprang into Bob's place, while Bob 
 fell down into the boat. They had been rowing for 
 an hour now, but the boat with Sam's gang was 
 far ahead.
 
 148 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 * 'This must be Springville, " said Mr. Pierson; 
 " we must catch them before they get there." 
 
 They increased their strokes wonderfully, but 
 the other men on seeing the town also increased 
 their strokes and managed to keep their lead. 
 They reached Springville a good twenty-five rods 
 before the other boat. They sprang upon the 
 shore and darted away. As soon as Bob's craft 
 touched shore they leaped off and started after 
 the men. They followed them for a way and then 
 saw them dart into a building. They went in after 
 them but they were no place in sight. After a 
 close search they came upon a door and flung this 
 open. There were some men in the yard and they 
 asked them where the men were. 
 
 "They went down that way," replied one of the 
 men, pointing toward the river. 
 
 "They went back to the boat," said George; 
 "we can catch them." 
 
 They hurried on and soon came to the river, but 
 the men were nowhere in sight. 
 
 "Here's their boat, too," said Bob, pointing to 
 the craft. 
 
 "That man lied to us," said Mr. Pierson grimly. 
 " I 'm going back and have a reckoning with him. ' '
 
 An Interesting Adventure 149 
 
 They went back, but when they .came to the yard 
 the man who lied to them was no place in sight. 
 
 "Did you see where those men went who came 
 out of this door a little while ago?" they asked 
 of another man. 
 
 "Yes, they went down that way," was the an- 
 swer, and the man pointed to Springville. They 
 walked tow r ard the town and Bob said, "I'd like 
 to get a chance at that man that told us they went 
 down toward the river. ' ' 
 
 They came to the town and looked around in the 
 hope of finding the men. After being assured of 
 the fact that they could not, they went into a 
 restaurant to eat their dinner. After eating they 
 went down to the rowboat and met with a great 
 surprise. There was a big hole in the bottom. 
 
 "They forgot to do the same to theirs," said 
 Bob, "so we'll relieve them of it." 
 
 They got into the rowboat and rowed leisurely 
 down the river, each taking turns at rowing except 
 Bob, whose shoulder prevented. After a two hours 
 row they came upon New York. They rowed up 
 to the shore and were just fixing the boat where 
 the owner could get it when some, dark figures 
 leaped out on them.
 
 CHAPTER XIX 
 THE CAPTURE OF MB. HARDING 
 
 Returning to Dick. 
 
 When our hero heard the groan he was quick to 
 act. He went down the stairs softly and looked 
 through the window. The sight that met his eyes 
 made him blink at first. 
 
 A man was lying on a couch, tied up, with blood 
 flowing from his leg, and a man was looking into 
 a drawer! 
 
 Dick tried to open the door, only to find it locked. 
 He crept around to the back and tried the windows. 
 Just as he was giving up in despair he tried a last 
 window and it opened with a sharp creak. The 
 man inside looked toward the door and his hand 
 sought his gun. As nothing happened he turned 
 back looking through the drawers. The man that 
 was lying on the couch also had heard the creak 
 and looked around anxiously. As nothing hap- 
 pened he lost heart again. 
 
 Dick crept into the window and softly came 
 
 150
 
 Capture of Mr. Harding 151 
 
 across the floor. He could see the light in the 
 other room through a crack and softly opened the 
 door. The man 's back was turned to him and Dick 
 advanced without being seen. Just as he was 
 half way across the room, and near the, man, he 
 turned and stared at Dick. 
 
 He uttered a cry and looked for his gun. Just 
 then flashed through Dick's head of what he knew 
 about football and he advanced on a run. Just as 
 the man was about to shoot he was lifted from the 
 floor and laid flat. He uttered a cry and tried to 
 rise but this was prevented by Dick sitting on his 
 chest. He tried to shoot his gun but Dick wrenched 
 it from his hand. 
 
 "Now, then, get up," ordered Dick. 
 
 The man arose with a scrowl on his face and 
 then Dick said, "Now go over and cut that man's 
 bonds." 
 
 He just then glanced at the man's face and 
 exclaimed, "Why, you're Mr. Harding!" 
 
 "Yes, I'm Mr. Harding," said the man, "and 
 what about it?" 
 
 "Go cut that man's bonds," was the order from 
 Dick, who did not take heed of the man's last 
 remark.
 
 152 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 Mr. Harding went over and whipping out his 
 knife cut the ropes that bound the man. 
 
 The man rose and heartily shook hands with 
 Dick, whose gun was turned away, and Mr. Hard- 
 ing rushed for the door, unlocked it, ran out, and 
 slammed the door shut again. Dick ran out after 
 him with his gun tightly clutched in his hand. 
 
 Just as he got out a brick whizzed over his head 
 and Dick started in the direction from where the 
 brick came. With a leap he cleared the fence that 
 blocked his way and saw Mr. Harding 's figure 
 outlined against the sky." The next instant it dis- 
 appeared, but Dick knew that he had gone over a 
 fence. He ran towards it and was soon over. He 
 saw Mr. Harding running across a lot and he fol- 
 lowed him. 
 
 "I wish it wasn't so dark," Dick muttered to 
 himself. They were soon in a clear space and 
 Dick fired at the retreating figure of Mr. Harding. 
 The bullet whistled over his head and caused him 
 to cower, but in an instant he was up again and 
 ran, closely pursued by Dick. 
 
 They came out on the street and Mr. Harding 
 ran up this. He soon came on an apparently de- 
 serted building. Mr. Harding ran imto this and
 
 Capture of Mr. Harding 153 
 
 up the winding stairs to the top floor. He ran into 
 a room an instant ahead of Dick. It was a flimsy 
 door that separated the two and Dick gave it one 
 punch and it fell in. Mr. Harding had pulled him- 
 self up to the roof and Dick did the same. They 
 both leaped over onto the next building, which 
 was only the distance of a couple of inches. Mr. 
 Harding ran to the very edge and looked over. 
 
 ' * Do you give up ! ' ' asked Dick. 
 
 Mr. Harding once more looked far down into 
 the street and then said sullenly, "I guess I'll 
 have to." 
 
 With Mr. Harding before him Dick jumped over 
 onto the first building. Mr. Harding went into the 
 room first. Dick followed just in time to see Mr. 
 Harding disappear down the steps. He went after 
 him and saw him rapidly moving up the street. 
 
 "I've got to get him," thought Dick, with a 
 pounding of his heart. He quickened his steps 
 and the two were soon going along at a great 
 speed. Mr. Harding crossed the cable street line 
 and just as Dick was about to do the same a cable 
 car came down the street and he had to stop. This 
 gave Mr. Harding a good lead and he was nearly 
 half a block ahead when Dick started after him
 
 154 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 again. Mr. Harding soon turned down a side 
 street, and started towards the fishermen's huts. 
 Dick hurried faster and gained slowly. 
 
 They kept on and soon the blue ocean once more 
 lay before them. They kept along the shore for 
 awhile, and soon in the distance they could see the 
 fishermen's huts. Mr. Harding swerved to one 
 side and started up a hill. On the top was a pile 
 of bushes. Mr. Harding gained these and darted 
 into them. 
 
 1 'I hope I've not lost him," muttered Dick. 
 
 He gained the top of the hill a half minute be- 
 hind Mr. Harding and darted into the bushes also. 
 He suddenly saw Mr. Harding dart down the hill 
 again and Dick went after him. They went farther 
 into the fishermen's huts and Mr. Harding darted 
 into the last one. He barred the door, which was 
 a heavy one, and hard to break in. 
 
 Dick saw the top of the hut was covered with 
 loose shingles and he got up there easily. He tore 
 aside a few shingles and made a big enough hole 
 to look through. He saw Mr. Harding look through 
 the window and then mutter to himself, "Those 
 kids ain't so smart as they think they are; I've 
 thrown them off my trail."
 
 Capture of Mr. Harding 155 
 
 He sat down on a bed and soon fell back and 
 lay down. As a heavy snore emerged from him, 
 Dick felt assured that he was asleep. He enlarged 
 the hole and softly dropped through to the floor. 
 He went over to Mr. Harding and put the cold 
 barrel of the gun against his temple and said 
 horsely, "If you make any noise I'll blow your 
 brains out." 
 
 Mr. Harding got up and walked out. As he 
 passed the lamp it suddenly fell and the kerosene 
 was sprinkled over the place and it was soon in 
 a blaze. Dick got out safely and hurried away 
 with his prisoner. After a long walk they reached 
 New York. Dick looked around for a police sta- 
 tion but could not find one for awhile. 
 
 When he did he brought his prisoner in before 
 the judge.
 
 CHAPTER XX 
 A HAPPY REUNION 
 
 Returning to Bob and his friends. 
 
 When the men leaped on Mr. Pierson and the 
 boys, they thought at first they were being at- 
 tacked by the men they were after. All of a sudden 
 Mr. Pierson gave a cry and shouted, "Don't, these 
 are officers of the law." When the boys heard 
 this they were too astonished to speak and were 
 soon tied. 
 
 * * Come with me, ' ' called one of the men, and the 
 boys were hustled along. They soon reached the 
 police station, and were lined up before the judge. 
 The ropes were cut that bound them and they 
 stretched their legs and arms freely. 
 
 "What is the charge that is brought against 
 these boys and man f ' ' asked the judge. 
 
 "He stole my bpat," said the man that they 
 seen shaking his fist at them. 
 
 "Why did you take this man's boat?" asked 
 the judge severely. 
 
 156
 
 A Happy Reunion 157 
 
 They told him their story, and the judge turned 
 to the man and asked, "Do you think that their 
 story is true?" 
 
 "It may be and it may not be," was the answer, 
 "but if it is true, why didn't they come and ask 
 me to lend it to them ? ' ' 
 
 * ' The men would have been gone by that time, ' ' 
 answered Mr. Pierson. 
 
 Just then there was a commotion at the door- 
 way and Dick came in with Mr. Harding. He 
 delivered the prisoner over to the judge and he 
 was placed in jail after a little investigation. 
 
 Dick then turned to his chums and asked, with 
 a laugh, ' * How in the world did you get here ? ' ' 
 
 They told him and Dick laughed again. 
 
 "I wish we knew where that man lives that we 
 did this for," said Bob mournfully. 
 
 "I know," said Fred, with a laugh; "it was Mr. 
 Brown." 
 
 "Mr. Brown?" said Mr. Pierson; "how do you 
 know?" 
 
 "Because when Dick saved his daughter I had 
 a good look at him. ' ' 
 
 "Do you know Mr. Brown?" asked the judge, 
 who had heard their conversation.
 
 158 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Yes, sir," answered Bob politely, "but not 
 very well. ' ' 
 
 "Well, if he can prove you are innocent I'll let 
 you go," was the reply. 
 
 "I'll go out and call him up," said Dick, start- 
 ing for the door. 
 
 "Stop, here's a phone," called the judge, and 
 he pointed to one on his desk. 
 
 Dick went to that and called him up. They were 
 soon talking pleasantly over the phone, and in a 
 few minutes Dick hung up the receiver and said, 
 "He'll be down here as soon as he can get here." 
 
 After a tiresome half hour of waiting, a man 
 came in and in whom they had no difficulty in 
 recognizing as Mr. Brown. v 
 
 After a little talk with the judge he came over 
 to the boys and said, "You can come now." 
 
 As they were passing out of the door the man 
 who had laid the charge against them came up 
 and said with a sickly grin, "I'm sorry this thing 
 happened, and if I had known I wouldn't have 
 done it." 
 
 "Oh, that's all right," said Bob good-naturedly, 
 "you never knew." 
 
 When they had gotten out on the street Mr.
 
 A Happy Reunion 159 
 
 Brown turned to them with a smile and said, "I'm 
 sorry I gave you so much trouble." 
 
 "That's all right," answered George; "we 
 wanted adventures and we got what we wanted. ' ' 
 
 They kept on talking and after a little while 
 they reached the hotel. 
 
 "Come and see me sometimes," called Mr. 
 Brown, as they went into the hotel. 
 
 They had a late dinner but ate heartily. They 
 were all sleepy and as soon as they were un- 
 dressed got in bed and fell asleep. Dick woke 
 early and could not go back to sleep again, so got 
 up and dressed.' It was only six o'clock and he 
 went out for a walk before breakfast. As he got 
 out he saw the men they were after walking down 
 the street. 
 
 * ' I wonder where they go all the time instead of 
 staying at the hotel," mused Dick to himself; "I'll 
 follow them. ' ' 
 
 Dick followed them for awhile and then he saw 
 them go into a shop and then into a back room. 
 Dick crept to the rear and inching up cautiously 
 soon came upon a window where he could look in 
 and see what the men were doing. He soon ob- 
 served them go into a closet and bring out a huge
 
 160 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 box. They dragged this to a bench and took out 
 pieces of machinery. 
 
 "That's uncle's invention and they are making 
 it," Dick said angrily. 
 
 He watched and saw them start to fix a machine, 
 and eagerly looked at them for half an hour, then 
 he started back for the hotel. 
 
 1 1 Oh, the villians, ' ' he kept repeating to himself. 
 
 He soon reached the hotel and went up the stairs 
 two at a time. He burst into his room, waking all 
 his chums. He told them what he had seen and 
 they all dressed rapidly. 
 
 "I'm going to get into that shop," said Bob to 
 the others. 
 
 They were soon dressed and went down to 
 breakfast. As soon as they had finished they 
 rushed out and followed Dick to the men's shop. 
 They crept around to the back and saw the three 
 men working. They watched them for awhile and 
 then Mr. Pier son said, "I'm coming here tonight 
 and break the confounded thing to pieces." 
 
 "All I want is the document," said Bob; "with- 
 out that they can't patent the machine." 
 
 The men kept on working and the boys started 
 away again.
 
 A Happy Reunion 161 
 
 "I wonder what Sam and his bunch are doing?" 
 asked George; "I'll bet they're not having a good 
 time. ' ' 
 
 "Neither is his father," chortled Dick slyly. 
 
 They went back to the hotel and the rest of the 
 day passed without adventure. That night they 
 went out and went to the shop. It was empty. 
 They went around to the back and broke a window 
 and went in through it. Mr. Pierson had a search- 
 light and this gave them light. They found the 
 closet and got down the box. They took off the 
 cover, and when they touched the ma-chine there 
 was a loud crack and then a deafening roar !
 
 CHAPTER XXI 
 THE DOCUMENT EECOVEBED 
 
 As the deafening roar came the boys were ail 
 thrown to the floor. The machine was broken to 
 pieces, and the boys were glad of that. They all 
 rose except Fred. 
 
 ' ' I wonder what 's the matter with Fred I ' ' asked 
 George. 
 
 Mr. Pierson bent over him and then gave a cry 
 of distress. The boys bent over and soon saw 
 what was the matter, for a big piece of the machine 
 had lodged in his scalp. Mr. Pierson brought out 
 his knife and after a close examination managed 
 to cut it out. As he cut it out Fred gave a low 
 moan of anguish. They lifted him up gently and 
 started out, when Dick called them and said, 
 ' * There 's a big crowd of people outside and those 
 three men are with them." 
 
 ' l Then we can 't go out that way, ' ' said Mr. Pier- 
 son, with anxiety, "so we'll have to go out this 
 way," and he pointed towards the window. George 
 
 162
 
 The Document Recovered 163 
 
 and Dick clambered out and Mr. Pierson and Bob 
 gave Fred to them. Mr. Pierson climbed out and 
 looked around for Bob, but he was over at the 
 closet. 
 
 "Hurry up!" he yelled. 
 
 Bob grabbed something and ran towards the 
 window. Just as he got out there was a trampling 
 in the other room and they knew that the people 
 had come in. They carried Fred and got him out 
 in the street without being discovered and started 
 for the hotel. They soon reached it and got Fred 
 up to their room without any questions being 
 asked, although many of the boarders stared at 
 them. 
 
 After a little care Fred opened his eyes and 
 stared around. "Why, how did I get here!" he 
 asked, bewildered. 
 
 "We brought you here," grinned Dick. 
 
 After a little while he was able to stand up. 
 
 * ' One bad thing about this is that we never got 
 the document," said George, with a wry face. 
 
 1 1 Oh, don 't be so sure that we never got it, ' ' said 
 Bob with a laugh; "look at this!" and before the 
 eyes of the astonished group he held up the miss- 
 ing document.
 
 164 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 "Why, how did you get that!" asked Dick. 
 
 "I got it just when we started to leave," said 
 Bob. "I was over at the closet when Mr. Pierson 
 called me and then I found it." 
 
 The boys hurried out at once and sent the fol- 
 lowing telegram to Mrs. Morris: "Have recov- 
 ered document we'll be home Monday." 
 
 They came to their room and then heard the men 
 come in under them. They rushed to the crack 
 and looked through. They could see the men sit- 
 ting in chairs with scrowls on their faces. 
 
 "They don't feel very happy," said Dick with 
 a snicker. They kept on watching and then they 
 saw the men suddenly get to quarreling. Sud- 
 denly one of them pulled a gun and pointing it at 
 the two pulled the trigger. The boys sprang up 
 with horrified glances on their faces. They rushed 
 down to the room and saw the man bending over 
 his two wounded pals and he was rifling their 
 pockets. 
 
 All the boarders had rushed to the room and 
 were looking in. The boys edged their way 
 through and went into the room. The man glanced 
 up and on seeing the boys uttered an oath and 
 dashed for them. The boys were unprepared for
 
 The Document Recovered 165 
 
 this and they were thrown aside. The man dashed 
 through the crowd and ran downstairs. 
 
 The man had let his pistol drop, and Dick had 
 grabbed it and handed it to Mr. Pierson. They 
 dashed off after the man, who was now at the 
 foot of the stairs. 
 
 "Stop him!" yelled Bob to two men who were 
 just coming in. 
 
 The men blocked the robber's way, but fear 
 added strength to the man, who with a powerful 
 blow of his hand knocked the others flat. He 
 dashed out and went down the street closely pur- 
 sued by the boys. They rushed on and suddenly 
 the bandit turned down a side street, and before 
 them the boys saw a policeman. 
 
 * ' Stop that man ! ' ' they called out loudly. 
 
 The policeman on seeing him ran up and swiftly 
 had him collared. As the boys came up they told 
 their story, and the man was brought back to the 
 hotel. He was quickly proved guilty and the boys 
 went back to their room. They undressed and 
 went to bed. In a few minutes they were all sound 
 to sleep. 
 
 The next day passed with nothing happening, 
 and the day after that which was Sunday the
 
 166 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 boys went to see Mr. Brown. They had a pleasant 
 time and they went to the hotel late at night. They 
 slept soundly and woke early the next morning. 
 They went to the station and got tickets for Spen- 
 cerville. In a half hour they were riding toward 
 home. They were met at the station by Bob's 
 mother, who had a small carriage with her. They 
 all piled in and drove off to the farm. 
 
 "How's father?" asked Bob, after they had 
 gotten in. 
 
 "He can sit up now, but he won't be wholly well 
 for a long while," was the reply, "and he wants 
 to see you. ' ' 
 
 The boys went upstairs and there they saw Mr. 
 Morris propped up on a pillow reading a maga- 
 zine. When he saw them he laid it aside and 
 asked, "Well, boys, did you get it?" 
 
 "We always get what we go after," laughed 
 Bob, "and I want you to meet Mr. Pierson, who 
 helped us get it. ' ' 
 
 Mr. Pierson advanced, and when Mr. Morris 
 saw him he gave a start. 
 
 "Why, Bill!" he exclaimed; "we haven't seen 
 each other for a long time." 
 
 They shook hands warmly and the boys stood
 
 The Document Recovered 167 
 
 / 
 
 aside, and wondered where the two had met be- 
 fore. The doctor came soon and the boys had to 
 leave. When they got out of the room the boys 
 asked, "Where have you met father before?" 
 
 "You'll soon find out," replied Mr. Pierson, his 
 eyes twinkling, "and when you do you'll have 
 adventures enough." 
 
 The boys dismissed this and nothing happened 
 for a couple of days, but one day Mr. Pierson came 
 to the house early and went upstairs to Mr. Morris ' 
 room. He stayed there for awhile and when he 
 came down again his face was a study. When he 
 saw the boys his face suddenly cleared, and com- 
 ing up to them he said, with a smile, "You wanted 
 to know, Bob, where your father and myself met 
 before. 
 
 "Come upstairs and you'll soon find out."
 
 CHAPTER XXII 
 CONCLUSION 
 
 The boys were more than willing to go up to 
 hear about it and they followed Mr. Pierson in 
 breathless silence. They went into the room, where 
 Mr. Morris was waiting for them. As they entered 
 he turned on them and said : 
 
 "Well, boys, I don't want to get you into any 
 trouble, but I know you like adventures, and I'll 
 give you some. You probably want to know where 
 Mr. Pierson and myself met. It was at my mine 
 in Montana. We first met when he got a job from 
 me. He was faithful and soon I let him have a 
 half interest in the mine. 
 
 "There was another man there called Mike 
 Martin, a regular villian. He was the foreman 
 of the mine, and when I left for awhile he got all 
 the men against me, so that when I came back I 
 was driven away. Mr. Pierson stuck by me in 
 it all. 
 
 "Now, boys, you don't need to go, but I want 
 
 168
 
 Conclusion 169 
 
 you to. Go to Montana with Mr. Pierson and 
 help me get my mine back. Will you go!" 
 
 The boys were silent for a moment, and then 
 Mr. Morris said, "I'll give you one week for your 
 answer. ' ' 
 
 The boys went out of the room like someone in 
 a dream. Mr. Pierson followed and asked pleas- 
 antly, "Well, boys, how about it?" 
 
 "We don't know yet," stammered Fred; "we 
 want adventures but we don't know what to make 
 of this." 
 
 "I have my answer now," said Bob, with a 
 laugh; "it's 'yes.' " 
 
 "Same here," replied Dick. 
 
 * ' Boys, don 't make any agreements that you will 
 be sorry for later," implored Mr. Pierson; "take 
 a week for your answer there are many dangers 
 you'll have to go through." 
 
 ' ' Then we '11 take time, ' ' said Bob, " but I '11 help 
 father any time. ' ' 
 
 "I'm sure you will," said Mr. Pierson, smiling. 
 
 The boys went out and then George turned on 
 his chums and asked, "What do you make of 
 this?" 
 
 "It all seems funny to me," said Fred, "but if
 
 170 In the Shadow of Great Peril 
 
 Bob and Dick are going, I'm with them." 
 
 "So am I," said George warmly. 
 
 They walked around for awhile, and while they 
 talked about other things it was plain their minds 
 were elsewhere. It was on the mine. They came 
 home at noon and ate a hearty meal. That after- 
 noon they went out once more, but nothing of 
 importance happened. The next morning George 
 stretched out and said with a yawn, "I wish there 
 were some adventures; this is too dry for me." 
 
 "We'll have adventures enough when we get to 
 Montana," said Bob, and this was to prove right 
 later. 
 
 "Then you intend to go?" asked Fred; "then 
 it 's the same here. ' ' 
 
 Nothing happened for awhile, but one day as 
 the boys were discussing the mine Dick nudged his 
 friends and asked, "Do you see that man back 
 there? He's been following us all the time, and 
 has been listening to all we said." 
 
 "I'll go back and see what he is doing," said 
 Bob, "and what he is about." 
 
 The man saw him coming and started away on 
 a run. All the boys ran after him, but the man 
 cleverly managed to get away.
 
 Conclusion 171 
 
 "I'm going to tell father about this," said Bob, 
 as he started for home. 
 
 He soon reached it, and started for Mr. Morris ' 
 room. They saw him lying down on his bed and 
 they told him about it. He appeared grave for a 
 moment and then said, "Well, boys, if you are 
 going, you'll start tomorrow." 
 
 "And we're going," echoed all the boys. 
 
 Their things were packed, then followed a rest- 
 less night. Early next morning they were met by 
 Mr. Pierson and the group started for the station 
 immediately. Mrs. Morris had gone to the station 
 to see them off, and as the train rolled out she 
 called, ' ' Good-by, boys ! ' ' 
 
 And now let me say good-by to my readers until 
 we meet these fine, brave American boys and 
 Miss Alice, who will figure in many thrilling 
 episodes in the pages of my next book, entitled 
 "The Heavy Hand of Justice." 
 
 THE ENB.
 
 /MAP.C-H SL y- rH , Mao. PHILADELPHIA 

 
 UC SOUnOH RKONJL UBSS51 FJgUTr 
 
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