by contract, or through the
action of the criminal laws. Sad indeed was their plight, but the
rescuers had no legal right to take them away.

"Though I can, and will, proceed against you for taking Tom Osborne,"
declared Mr. Hammond. "And I'll see to it that you get the punishment
you deserve."

Mr. Stonington said something in a low voice to the overseer.

"Oh, yes," went on Mr. Hammond. "If you want to tell what became of this
other young man, whom you seem to have kept against his will, I'll do
what I can to have your sentence lightened."

"He must have got away," said the head lumberman, sullenly. "He was such
a spunky chap that we kept him locked up. And we had a right to him,
too. He signed a contract."

"Probably an illegal one, if I'm any judge of your methods," said Mr.
Hammond, grimly. "I don't blame him for getting away, but I wish we
could have rescued him. He may be in a bad plight in this swamp."

An inspection of the cabin where Tom had said some other prisoner had
been held showed a board forced off in the rear, and it was evident that
the unknown young man had gotten out this way when the guard was
asleep--for the camp was kept under guard, so fearful were the bosses
that their wretched slaves would escape.

"Well, we can't do much more here," said Mr. Hammond, looking about.
They had inspected every cabin, and the men had searched in various
places.

"You have my last word," said Mr. Hammond, grimly, as the rescue party
prepared to leave the miserable camp, "if you produce that young man
I'll do what I can to have the courts deal easy with you. If not--you'll
get the limit!"

"I tell you he escaped!" insisted the head of the lumbermen. "And if you
think you can scare us, go ahead. If you hadn't so many with you, and if
my men had the spunk of chickens, there'd be a different ending to
this," he added, vindictively.

"Don't be rash," advised Mr. Hammond.

The girls were permitted a distant view of the camp, and then they
started for their boats, Tom in the midst of the girls, explaining to
them his seeming desertion. The Loon was worried over his failure to
rescue the unknown young man who had given him money.

"Never mind," consoled Mr. Hammond. "We may find him later. We'll keep a
lookout as we go along. If he has any sense he'll get out of this swamp,
anyhow."

"I wonder who he may be?" said Grace. "Oh, if only we could go to the
rescue of my brother. I wish we would get some news o