as getting ready for them,
devoting all of his spare time to studying so that he would be able to
pass with the greatest credit to himself and his instructors.

The next number of the Hilltop _Gazette_ would give the results of the
examination but there was other matter to be prepared for it, the
standings being the last matter to go in.

On the afternoon before the examinations were to begin Jack borrowed
Percival's runabout and set out for Riverton with the copy for the
school paper and something he had written for the weekly _News_,
furnishing something now every week.

It was rather late when he started, as he had been busy up to the last
moment and when he left the office after seeing Mr. Brooke and looking
over the matter already set up it was growing dark, the sun being
already behind the hills.

He would be back in time for supper, however, and as he had his lights
in good order he had no fear of being out after dark.

He had left the town and was about to put on speed so as to carry him
easily up a hill just ahead of him when he saw a man suddenly come
around a turn just ahead of him.

He slacked up in an instant and then heard a sharp whistle behind him
and at the next moment heard rapid footsteps, the man in front suddenly
running toward him.

Before he was aware some one had sprung over the back of the car and had
thrown a pair of strong arms around him.

Then the man in front ran up, jumped in and took the steering wheel,
quickly backing the car and turning into a narrow lane a few rods
behind.

Jack, meanwhile, had been blindfolded and gagged by the man who had
seized him from behind and had no idea where he was going.

He was held tight as well and could not move, his captor being evidently
a very powerful man.

"I'd like to know what this means, so close to town," he thought. "If it
were two or three miles out I should not wonder and yet I have never
been molested as long as I have been driving the car, or was I when I
carried fruit and returned with money in my pocket."

By this time it was dark but if it had not been it would have made
little difference to Jack with a heavy bandage over his eyes which shut
out all light.

They were running on the level, as he knew by the motion but at length
they began to ascend a considerable rise, the speed being increased and
the car being higher in front.

The boy was utterly in the dark as to the identity of his captors or
their intentions and c