t cries appeared to be muffled in
some way. They looked about them, endeavoring to locate their source.
Suddenly one of the farm hands spoke.

"I used to work fer old Crabtree," he said. "There's an old well
hereabouts somewheres and maybe he's fell down that."

"Where is it?" demanded Jack.

"Back in the meadow yonder," said the man, pointing in the direction
of the pasture lot.

"Let's go over there and see at once," said Dick. "Frantic frogs of
France, if the professor's tumbled into a well he may be in serious
trouble."

They set off on the run to where a pile of stones showed a well-curb
had once been. The hoards at the top, which had covered it over, had
rotted, and there was a jagged hole in them. Jack cautiously bent over
and placed his mouth at the edge of the hole.

"Professor, are you down there?" he hailed.

"Y-y-y-y-yes," came up in feeble, stuttering tones. "I'm almost
frozen. I'm hanging above the water but I can't hold on much longer.
The bag of specimens is too heavy."

"Throw it away," urged Jack.

"N-n-n-not for worlds," was the reply. "I was looking for another rare
bit of quartz when I fell in here."

"I'll run to the car," said Jack, who had made out that the well was
not very deep. "Fortunately, we've got a rope and tackle in there.
Hold on, professor, we'll soon have you out."

He hurriedly explained the situation to the others and ran at top
speed to the car, in which the boys--like most careful motorists, who
never know when such a piece of apparatus may come in useful for
hauling a car out of mud or sand, for instance, or for towing an
unlucky autoist home--had a block and tackle stowed.

He was soon back, and the rope was lowered to the professor, who made
it fast under his arms. Then, aided by the husky muscles of the farm
hands, they soon drew him to the surface. But his weight was
materially added to by the stones, and it was no light task to rescue
him, dripping and shivering, from the dark, cold shaft.

He explained that soon after they had gone some men came up and drove
the bull away. But they had seen the gap in the stone wall first.

"They were positively violent," declared the professor, "and said that
they'd have the man who did it arrested if they could find him. Under
the circumstances, I deemed it prudent to stay up in the tree, where
they could not see me. They drove the bull off into another pasture.
As soon as the coast was clear I climbed down, but I happen