Once Elmer chanced to awaken, and more from the habit of the cattle
range than anything else, he raised his head to listen. The only
sounds he heard consisted of the champing of the horses, still busy
with their sweet hay, or it might be the distant cry of a
whip-poor-will calling to its mate in the apple orchard.

So Elmer dropped back with a satisfied feeling such as comes on
realizing that all is well. Perhaps the thieves would not make a visit
to the farm adjoining the big Sassafras Swamp, on that particular
night, at least. Perhaps morning would come at last, and find the trap
undisturbed.

Elmer was letting these things pass through his brain in a hazy sort of
way peculiar to one who is just yielding to sleep. He had almost
reached the point when things would have slipped entirely from his grip
when suddenly and without the least warning there started a tremendous
racket such as he had noticed came to pass when that hogshead started
rolling down the grade, and the stones with which it was loaded began
to rattle about inside.

Almost at the same instant there rang out a shrill scream of agony that
could only have come from the throat of someone in mortal distress.

As if by magic every scout sat bolt upright, as though they had been
shot into that position by the action of a gigantic galvanic battery.

"Oh! what happened?" Landy was heard to call out in trembling tones.

"It's Johnny's trap!" whooped Lil Artha, all excitement.

CHAPTER V

THE KNIFE WITH THE BUCKHORN HANDLE

"Everybody get out in a hurry!" called Elmer, suiting the action to the
word himself by scrambling erect and making for the open door of the
big barn.

It was far from light in there; but as they could easily see the
opening all they had to do was to make for it. Elmer had been careful
to make sure that there were no pitchforks lying around loose, to be
run upon by accident.

Hardly had the scouts managed to stream from the interior of the barn
than they became aware of the fact that someone was running headlong
toward them. Toby threw himself into an attitude of defense, raising
the piece of wood he had grasped for a club; but Elmer realized that
the runner was approaching from the direction of the farmhouse and
therefore must be a friend rather than a foe.

"Steady, boys, it must be Johnny!" he told his comrades as they
clustered there.

Johnny it proved to be. The bound boy must have lain down on his cot
fully