filled with
packages he started toward home once more.

For the first time in the past twenty-four hours he had forgotten the
existence of the regulators, and the fact that Skip Miller with half a
dozen companions was waiting for him never came into his mind until a
hand was suddenly pressed over his mouth, as a hoarse voice whispered:

"Catch hold his legs an' arms, fellers! Never mind the stuff now."

In a twinkling Fred was lifted from the ground by a boy at each limb,
while the one who had spoken kept a firm hold upon his mouth, and in
this fashion he was carried swiftly along in the direction of the
breaker, as he thought.

"We'll have to fetch them bundles so's to make it look as if he fell
in," some one said, and a voice, which he recognized as Skip's, replied:

"That's so. You fellers what ain't doing anything pick 'em up."

"Who's got the rope?"

"I have."

"Why not throw him in an' run the chances? It's too bad to lose what
cost half a dollar."

"There's time enough to fix that after we've got him to the shaft."

"Hold your tongues, or somebody will hear us!" Skip whispered, angrily,
as his companions thus discussed the preliminaries.

Then came a long time of silence broken by the footsteps of the party,
or the loud breathing of those who were carrying the burden.

Several times Fred tried to give an alarm; but his mouth was held so
firmly that not a sound could escape his lips, and after a while he
contented himself with simply trying to form some idea of the direction
in which he was being taken.

When the party had carried him for ten or fifteen minutes a halt was
made, and then his captors took the precaution of enveloping his head in
a coat, which shut out every sound, save the loudly uttered remarks of
the regulators.

He heard Skip berating one of the party, because some reference was made
to their destination, and then ensued a noisy discussion as to what
should be done with him.

"If he don't turn up to-morrer mornin' old Donovan will swear we took
him off, an' there'll be a heap of trouble for all hands," one of the
boys suggested.

"What of that? Nobody can say we did it, an' after he's had one night of
it, I reckon he'll be willin' to do as we say."

"But how'll he get out?"

"That's for him to say. We'll show him what it is to go agin our crowd,
an' the rest is his business."

Then Fred was borne forward again until it seemed as if fully half a
mile had been traversed, wh