ton."

"All right, Si Peters, do it, and you shall go to prison, mark my words."

Jerry had only guessed at the identity of the leader, but he had hit upon
the truth.

"Who told you I was"--began Peters, and broke off short. "You're
mistaken," he went on in his assumed voice.

"I am not mistaken, Si Peters. I know you, and you had best remember what
I say."

"Oh, you're too fresh, Upton, and we're going to teach you a lesson," put
in another of the crowd.

"A good coat of tar and feathers is just what your system needs."

"We'll paint you up so artistically that even your own mother won't know
you."

"Not if I can help it," muttered Jerry, under his breath.

A great mass of wood had been collected, and this gave a roaring fire and
also afforded a good light for the workers.

On each side of the fire a notched stick was driven into the ground. A
third stick was laid across the top, just beyond the flames. From this
upper stick the pot of tar was suspended by an iron chain.

The heat soon began to tell on the tar. As it softened it could be smelled
a long distance off.

"How do you like that smell?" asked Peters of Jerry.

"Oh, it's a good enough smell," replied our hero, as coolly as he could.

"Never had a dose of tar before, did you?"

"I haven't had this dose yet."

"That's so, but you soon will have."

"Maybe not."

"Oh, you can't escape us."

"Not much, he can't," put in another, and now Jerry felt sure that the
speaker was Wash Crosby.

"We'll talk about that later, Crosby."

The masked boy started back and denied his identity. But it was plain to
see he was much put out.

"I know you, Peters, Crosby, Banner and Graves," went on Jerry. "And I'll
discover who you other two fellows are before I leave here, too."

"Fiddlesticks!" shouted one of the boys by the fire who was stirring the
tar.

"Is it getting soft?" asked Crosby.

"Yes."

"Where is the brush?"

"I've got it," spoke up another, and he held up the stump of an old
whitewash brush.

"That's all right."

At a signal from Peters the crowd of masked boys withdrew to the side of
the fire.

Here a long talk followed. It was so low that Jerry could not hear a
word.

Peters was making the crowd solemnly promise that they would not inform
upon each other, no matter what happened.

"If we stick together, Upton can prove nothing," he said. "He has no
witnesses."

"Right you are, Si."

"We want to get square, and this is