Billy Carew
laughed at me, and asked if I expected to rope any steers in the
streets of New York. I guess he didn't figure on this."

It did not take Roy two minutes to fasten one end of the lariat to the
bed, which was the heaviest article in the room. Then he tossed the
other end out of the window, noting that it touched the ground, with
several feet to spare.

"Now for it!" murmured the boy. "It's a dangerous climb, to go down
hand over hand, but I think I can slide it!"

Testing the lasso to make sure it was securely fastened, he put one leg
over the window sill, grasped the lariat with both hands, and swung
himself off.

As he did so he heard the door of his room open, and some one rushed
in. There was a cry of alarm.

"That's Wakely," reasoned Roy. "He's discovered that I'm gone."

An instant later the face of Wakely appeared at the window. He shouted
to Roy:

"Come back here!"

"Not much!"

"Then I'll cut the rope!"

Wakely drew out his knife, but, before he had a chance to use it he was
pulled back, and the face of Mortimer De Royster replaced that of Roy's
late captor.

CHAPTER XXII

GETTING A CLUE

Roy was so astonished at the sight of his friend, the jewelry salesman,
peering out of the window that he nearly let go his hold of the rope.
He recovered himself quickly, however, and slid on toward the ground.
As he looked up at the casement he could see that De Royster and Wakely
were having some kind of a struggle.

"I must go back and help him," thought Roy. "Mr. De Royster is no
match for that fellow. I'd like to tackle him on my own account,
though he was not cruel to me while he had me a prisoner."

His determination to do this was increased when his friend leaned out
of the window, and called:

"Come on up, Roy! Help me!"

"He's plucky to tackle that fellow alone," thought the boy from the
ranch.

But now he had no time for musings. He must act. As he let go the
rope, his feet having touched the ground, he found himself in the not
very clean yard of the tenement.

About him were boxes and barrels of rubbish, decaying vegetables were
on all sides, besides tin cans and heaps of refuse. Clearly the
tenants in the house were not particular.

Roy looked about him. The yard was surrounded by a high fence, and
there were no persons in sight. To the rear was the electric light
plant, and on either side, the yards of other tenement houses. Then
Roy saw an alley, wh