ried Roy. "Who can have done
that?"

"The same people that stole the _Golden Butterfly,"_ declared Peggy.
"Hark!"

Outside they heard rapidly retreating footsteps, followed by a harsh
laugh.

"Let us out!" shouted Roy.

"You can stay there till judgment day, for all I care," came back a
hoarse, rasping voice; "you kids were too fresh, and now you're getting
what's coming to you."

CHAPTER XIII.

PRISONERS IN THE HUT.

It was almost pitch dark within the hut. Only from a crack under the
door could any light enter. For an instant after the taunting of the
voices of the men who had locked them in reached their ears, the trio
of youthful prisoners remained silent.

Peggy it was who spoke first.

"Well, what's to be done now?" she demanded.

"We've got to get out of here," responded Jimsy, with embarrassing
candor.

"That's plain enough," struck in Roy; "but how do you propose to do it?"

"I don't know; let's look about. Maybe there's a chimney or something."

"There's no opening larger than that one where the stove pipe goes
through. I've noticed that already," responded Roy.

"Phew! This _is_ a fix for fair."

"I should say so; but kicking about it won't help us at all. Let's make
a thorough investigation."

In the darkness they groped about, but could discover nothing that
appeared to hold out a promise of escape. The two boys shook the door
violently; but it was firm on its hinges.

Next Roy proposed to cut a way through it with his pocket knife.

"We'd be starved to death by the time you cut through that stuff,"
declared Jimsy.

In proof of this he kicked the door, and the resulting sound showed that
it was built of solid wood without any thin panels which might be cut
through.

"What next?"

Peggy asked the question as the two perspiring lads stood perplexed
without speaking or moving.

"Jiggered if I know," spoke Jimsy; "can't you or Roy think of anything?"

"We might try to batter the door down with that table," suggested Roy.

"It's worth trying. We've got to get out of here somehow."

The two boys picked up the heavy, roughly made table and commenced a
violent assault on the door. But although they dented it heavily, and
sent some splinters flying, the portal held its own. At length they
desisted from pure weariness. The situation looked hopeless.

"It looks pretty bad," spoke Jimsy.

"It does indeed," agreed Roy. "Peggy, I wish we hadn't brought you
along."

"And why