f a man smoking.

They stole across to the door, and Wilson, leading, cautiously glanced
within. He turned and held up one finger. Revolver in hand, he tiptoed up
the steps, and with a cry sprang inside and toward the man in the chair.
The intruder was so taken by surprise that he tumbled over backward. In a
jiffy the three boys were upon him, and had pinned him to the floor; and
while Alex closely clutched his mouth, to prevent him calling out, the
others speedily bound his hands and feet with some convenient pieces of
wire.

Satisfied that their prisoner was firmly secured, and having removed his
pistol and cartridge-belt, the boys replaced him in the chair, and
Wilson, pointing his revolver at the man's head, demanded, "Where is your
pard? And what are you and he up to?"

There was a look of amusement in the man's face as Alex removed his hand,
and he replied, "Nothin' doin', boys. You'll have to guess."

"I'll give you three, to tell," said Wilson, assuming a fierce expression
and beginning to count.

The prisoner laughed outright. "You gentleman kids wouldn't shoot a fly,"
he declared coolly.

Wilson colored with mortification. For of course he had had no intention
of shooting. Even Alex and Jack were forced to smile at the turn of the
situation. Wilson had his revenge, however. "Gag him, then, Al," he
suggested, "and we will stow him away beneath the car."

The man's mouth opened for a shout. In a flash Alex had slapped a
handkerchief between his teeth, and despite the man's struggles stuffed
it well in. Then, taking from his neck a long colored neckerchief, he
bound it twice about the man's face.

"Now out with him, this side," said Wilson, opening the rear door.

"Wouldn't it be better to take him over under one of the cars on the
sidings?" Jack suggested. "His pard might return, and he kick, or make
some kind of a noise underneath."

"That's so." Dragging their prisoner forth, they glanced up and down to
see that no one was in sight, and with Jack at his feet and Alex and
Wilson at his arms, they hastened across the rails, passed between two
freight-cars, and in the deep shadow beyond placed him on the ground and
bound him firmly to a rail.

"Be sure you don't talk now," said Wilson derisively as they turned away.

"What next?" Jack asked.

"It's pretty sure to be some mischief about the bridge. Let's have a look
around there," suggested Alex.

Approaching the brink of the ravine at a point som