onger. Then I'm goin' aboard."

"Well, I'll tell you what we'll do. You hide in the edge of the woods,
and I'll make a circuit and drive 'em down to you. Here, take these
cartridges and my revolver! That'll give you two to work with. You'll
have to shoot quick when they come."

There was a sound of breaking branches. The boys flattened themselves on
the carpet of needles as a man's body crashed toward them through the
underbrush.

"All right!" announced Dolph. "I've found a good place, close to a
sheep-path. Now drive down your mutton, and I'll butcher it as it goes
by. Will two be enough?"

"Sure! And that's two more than I'm afraid you'll get, unless you shoot
straighter than we've done so far to-night. It may be twenty minutes
before they come, for I'm going to make a wide circle to the west, so as
to get behind 'em."

The captain's footsteps died hollowly away on the turf and Dolph settled
himself comfortably in his chosen ambush, almost within reach of Jim's
hand. Five minutes of silence passed. Jim was debating what he should
do. Budge lay close to him, and not far back were Throppy, Percy, and
Filippo, hardly daring to breathe. Circumstances had placed one of the
marauders so nearly within their grasp that a sudden, well-planned
attack could hardly fail to make him their prisoner. But there must be
no bungling. A man with two loaded revolvers, and desperate from panic,
would be a dangerous customer unless he were overpowered at once.

It would not do to let too much time go by. Brittler would soon be
returning, driving the sheep ahead of him; then they would have two
lawless men to contend with, instead of one, unless they chose to be
quiet and tamely allow the spoilers to make off with their booty.

Jim came to his decision like the snapping of the jaws of a steel trap.

Reaching back, he pressed Budge's hand, as a signal for him to be ready.
Budge returned the pressure. Dolph stirred and drew a long breath. There
was a moment of suspense. Overhead, a crow cawed harshly.

Noiselessly Jim rose to his hands and knees and crept forward. The small
twigs and needles, crackling under his weight, sounded in his ears like
exploding fireworks. He stopped; went on again; stopped; went on again.
How could Dolph fail to hear him coming? The distance was less than two
yards, but to the crawling lad it seemed far longer.

Now he was close behind the unconscious bandit. He straightened up,
setting his right foot squ