se of the old
mansion on his way out of the woods. There appeared to be no one
stirring about it.

"I hope my birds haven't flown!" he exclaimed, and the thought gave
him such uneasiness that he put it from him. Pushing his heavy
machine ahead of him until he came to a good road, he mounted it,
and was soon at the charcoal-burner's shack. There came no answer to
his knock, and Tom pushed open the door. The old man was not in. Tom
could not send him for help.

"My luck seems to be against me!" he murmured. "But I can get
something to eat here, anyhow. I'm almost starved!"

He found the kitchen utensils, and made some coffee, also frying
some bacon and eggs. Then, feeling much refreshed, and having left
on the table some money to pay for the inroad he had made on the
victuals, he started to go outside.

As our hero stepped to the door he was greeted by a savage growl
that made him start in alarm.

"A dog!" he mused. "I didn't know there was one around."

He looked outside and there, to his dismay, saw a big,
savage-appearing bulldog standing close to where he had left his
motor-cycle. The animal had been sniffing suspiciously at the machine.

"Good dog!" called Tom. "Come here!"

But the bulldog did not come. Instead the beast stood still, showed
his teeth to Tom and growled in a low tone.

"Wonder if the owner can be near?" mused the young inventor. "That
dog won't let me get my machine, I am afraid."

Tom spoke to the animal again and again the dog growled and showed
his teeth. He next made a move as if to leap into the house, and Tom
quickly stepped back and banged shut the door.

"Well, if this isn't the worst yet!" cried the youth to himself.
"Here, just at the time I want to be off, I must be held up by such
a brute as that outside. Wonder how long he'll keep me a prisoner?"

Tom went to a window and peered out. No person had appeared and the
lad rightly surmised that the bulldog had come to the cottage alone.
The beast appeared to be hungry, and this gave Tom a sudden idea.

"Maybe if I feed him, he'll forget that I am around and give me a
chance to get away," he reasoned. "Guess I had better try that dodge
on him."

Tom looked around the cottage and at last found the remains of a
chicken dinner the owner had left behind. He picked up some of the
bones and called the bulldog. The animal came up rather
suspiciously. Tom threw him one bone, which he proceeded to crunch
up vigorously.

"He's hungr