llow me
and keep your eyes open." Marsh hurried back through the front room
to the hall, with the Swede at his heels, and he heard the man
murmuring, as he went, "You bane fine man."

As they climbed the stairs, feeling their way in the dark, they
heard a distant hammering. It came from the back of the house, and
Marsh and Nels speeded down the hall. The hammering ceased as they
approached the door at the end of the hall. A thin strip of light
showed beneath it and Marsh heard familiar voices.

"I tell you somebody's come after us," said one.

"Oh, hell! The man said nobody could hear a foghorn here," replied
the other. "What's the use?"

Marsh found the key in the lock, and turning it, threw the door
open. There stood Morgan and Tierney in the wreckage of what had
once manifestly been a beautifully furnished bedroom. A black
opening, through which a strong draft came when the door was opened,
showed where once had been a shuttered window. The remains of chairs
littered the floor, parts of the bed were scattered around the room,
and in the center of the floor was a pile of felt that had once been
the stuffing for the mattress.

"My God!" cried Marsh, "what has happened?"

The two men's faces lighted up at sight of him, and Tierney shouted,
"What did I tell you, Morgan? I knew that guy would find us."

"He bane fine man," added a voice from the doorway.

"Hello Svenska!" bellowed Tierney. "Who are you?"

Nels grinned as Marsh explained who he was.

"How did you get in? Where's the gang?" rapidly questioned Morgan.

"One wounded and tied downstairs, and two safely tied up by the
gate," explained Marsh. "One of the two out there is your man
Wagner. Now tell me how you got here."

Morgan gave him a brief outline of their adventures.

"But how did the room get in this state?" questioned Marsh.

"Well, you know Tierney," replied Morgan, with a laugh. "He's a
mighty restless individual when you try to shut him up. He
demolished all the chairs on the door. We found the window frame and
the shutters had been screwed tight to keep us in, so Tierney took
the bed apart and used the sides to clean out the whole business.
When we discovered it was too far to drop from the window, we tried
to make a rope with the ticking of the mattress, but when we tested
it, the stuff proved to be too rotten to hold us."

"And the worst of it is," added Morgan, "it was cold enough in here
before Tierney broke out the window. Since