n. Then the spies, realizing in an instant that they had been
deceived, made a dash after their comrade, who had his hand on the
tails of the exile's coat.

"Break away! Break loose!" cried Mr. Damon, who, by this time had
cleared the window so a person could get through. "Don't let them hold
you!"

"I don't intend to!" retorted Mr. Petrofsky, and he swerved suddenly,
tearing his coat, from the grasp of the guard.

In another instant the exile was at the casement, and was being helped
through by Mr. Damon, and there was need of it, for the three guards
were there now, doing their best to keep their prisoner.

"Pull away! Pull away!" cried Mr. Damon.

"We'll help you!" shouted Tom, who, now that his trick had worked, had
sped around to the other side of the hut.

"Don't be afraid, we're with you!" exclaimed the detective, who was
with the young inventor.

"Grab him! Keep him! Hold him!" fairly screamed the rearmost of the
three guards. "It is a plot of the Nihilists to rescue him. Shoot him,
comrades. He must not get away!"

"Don't you try any of your shooting games, or I'll take a hand in it!"
shouted the detective, and, at the same moment he drew his revolver and
fired harmlessly in the air.

"A bomb! A bomb!", yelled the guards in terror.

"Not yet, but there may be!" murmured Tom. The firing of the shot
produced a good effect, for the three men who were trying to detain
Ivan Petrofsky at once fell back from the window and gave him just the
chance needed. He scrambled through, with the aid of Mr. Damon, and
before the guards could again spring at him, which they did when the
echoes of the shot had died away. They had realized, too late, that it
was not a bomb, and that there was no immediate danger for them.

"Come on!" cried Tom. "Make for the airship! We've got to get the start
of them!"

Leading the way, he sprinted toward the road that led to the place
where the airship awaited them. He was followed by Mr. Damon and the
detective, who had Mr. Petrofsky between them.

"Are you all right?" Tom called back to the exile. "Are you hurt? Can
you run?"

"I'm all right," was the reassuring answer. "Go ahead; But they'll be
right after us."

"Maybe they'll stop when they see this," remarked the detective
significantly, and he held his revolver so that the rays of the
newly-risen moon glinted on it.

"Here they come!" cried Tom a moment later, as three figures, one after
the other, came around the corn