long to be remembered. The cries of the struggling men
on the floor mingled with the furious kicking and shouting that came
from the imprisoned boys in the closet, and amid all the din and
confusion the farmer rushed down from the hillside and battered his way
into the mill with the butt end of his gun.

Fright gave Moxley the strength of a madman, and by a determined effort
he tore loose from his plucky assailant, and springing to his feet
started to run. He struck Hocker, who jumped in front of him, a furious
blow that sent him reeling backward, but before he could make use of
his advantage, he tripped on a log, and came down heavily.

As he partially rose Bug leaped upon him, and both men rolled over to
the edge of a gaping hole in the floor. They struggled an instant on the
brink, and then fell through, landing with a terrific splash in the
flooded wasteway far below.

Hocker and Jeffries rushed precipitately from the mill to head them off,
while the farmer insanely attempted to check the conflagration by
tramping through the _debris_ that was burning here and there on the
floor.

The whole affair had taken place in a very few seconds, and Ned was at
first so dazed by the confusion and the flames that he was quite
incapable of doing anything. The terrified cries of his companions
roused him from his stupor, and he dashed through the intense heat to
the closet door.

A quick jerk threw the bolt open, and the frightened boys poured out.
The lurid glare of the flames and the spark laden volumes of smoke were
more than they could stand. One and all bolted for the nearest aperture
in the creek side of the mill, and fortunately reached it without
falling through the gaps in the floor.

Ned would gladly have followed their example, but he suddenly bethought
him of the plunder Moxley had packed up to carry away. Such a loss would
be irreparable, and without hesitation he dashed toward the burning
wall.

The heat was intense, but he managed to get near enough to snatch the
bag. One end was badly scorched. He suddenly spied Hocker's gun, and
knowing how the owner valued it, he made another rush and carried it off
in triumph.

Thus laden down he tottered across the floor in imminent fear of
dropping through to the wasteway, and overwhelmed at times by the
suffocating smoke and fiery sparks. When his courage and endurance were
all but spent he reached a broken place in the wall and staggered into
the refreshing oute