t by close
observation, Dave became satisfied that the prisoner was listening
intently to every word that was said.

"What will you do with him to-night?" asked Roger.

"We might lock him up in one of the rooms in the bungalow," suggested
Dave.

"I don't think we'll give up one of our rooms to that fellow!" put in
Mr. Wadsworth. "I think a bunk in the woodshed will be plenty good
enough for him."

"Oh, Pa, wouldn't that be rather hard on him?" questioned Jessie, who
did not want to see even a rascal like Merwell suffer physical
discomfort.

"I dare say he has been putting up with worse than that in the woods
here and while he was on Cave Island and in the far West," returned her
father. "We'll place an old couch and some blankets in a corner of the
shed, and that will be plenty good enough for him."

"But somebody will have to watch him," answered Dave. "I'll do it if you
want me to."

"That wouldn't be quite fair, Dave," broke in Phil. "If he has got to be
watched, let us take turns at doing it."

"We might bind him fast to the cot," suggested Mr. Wadsworth.

"He's so slick I'd be afraid to risk that," answered Dave. "I'll not
mind staying up watching him."

"Let us all take a hand at it," broke in Ben. "Every fellow can go on
guard-duty for two hours, and call the next fellow." And so, after a
little discussion, the matter was arranged.

"I suppose I'm not to have anything to eat?" grumbled Link Merwell, a
little later, when they were arranging to place him in the woodshed,
which was a small lean-to of the Wadsworth bungalow. This place was used
for the storage of firewood, but just now was almost empty.

"Oh, yes, we'll see to it that you get something to eat," answered Mrs.
Wadsworth, quickly.

"I haven't had a square meal for twenty-four hours," went on the
prisoner.

"Give him all he wants, but nothing fancy," said Mr. Wadsworth. "He
deserves nothing but the plainest kind of victuals."

"Where have you kept yourself since you ran away from Mr. Appleby's
camp?" questioned Phil, curiously.

"Oh, I just roamed around in the woods," was the somewhat sullen answer.

"Did you meet that wild man more than once?" questioned Roger.

"No. If it hadn't been for that fellow, whoever he is, you wouldn't have
caught me," added Link, bitterly.

"I wonder what the Pooles will do when Mr. Basswood tells them what we
think, that it is Mr. Wilbur Poole," came from Dave. "Perhaps they will
send some of the s