n at midnight she slipped down as of custom to
see how all fared in the sick-room, she found the patient sleeping
quietly, and Andy ready for the trip across the Gulch. The boys were
going unarmed; they felt no fear of treachery on Blatch's part--it could
profit him nothing to injure either of them in so public a way, and
indeed he had never shown them any ill-will.

Chapter XXVI

His Own Trap

"I reckon that'll about do for you, my pretty young men," remarked
Blatchley Turrentine as he put the last knot in the line with which he
was securing Andy to a splint-bottomed chair.

His concluding words were the refrain of a familiar old ballad, and he
continued to hum this as he straightened up and set his hands on his
hips, regarding the twins through wickedly narrowed eyes. He was flushed
with drink and inclined, as always at such times, to swagger with a sort
of savage playfulness.

"Scalf, you ain't got yo' feller half tied," he broke out, jerking the
cord around Jeff. "Why, Lord A'mighty! I could pull myse'f a-loose from
that mess o' rope inside o' five minutes," and he set to work to make his
cousin secure.

"Do yo' own dirty work," growled Scalf. "Yo' the only one that's a-goin'
to profit by it."

It was after midnight. When the two boys had approached Blatch's cabin as
agreed, they had been set upon from behind, pinioned, and taken to the
cave where the still was. Here they now sat bound and helpless.

"What do you aim to make out of it, Blatch?" asked Jeff, offering the
first remark that had come from either of them since their capture.

"Is--uh--" Andy glanced at Scalf, and strove to keep Huldah's name out of
it--"is what we come for here yet?"

Blatch burst into a great horse laugh and slapped his thigh.

"What you come after," he repeated enjoyingly. "Lord--Lord! What you come
after! You was easy got. I counted on Jude to set you on, and I see I
never counted none too much."

"What do you aim to make out of it?" persisted Andy.

The light from the fire built at the back of the cave, whose smoke went
up a cleft and entered the chimney of the cabin far above, illuminated
the dark interior flickeringly. Blatch went to a jug on a shelf, noisily
poured a drink into a tin cup, swallowed it, and then addressed himself
to his cousins.

"Yo' pappy ordered me off his land. My lease is up next month. I got to
git out of here anyhow, and I aimed to raise a stir befo' I went. This
here town podner wha