The San Francisco call., 1910-11-06
CHAPTER III

lney IOhnu lnelr IrlendS.
Each boy was tied firmly to the other
so that it was impossible for one to
give aid to another Around the lower
part of each face, only the nose and
eyes being visible, was tied thick
cloth to prevent them from crying out
One of the boys who had met this fate
afterward said that he thought at first
he would surely smother, his little red
nose having been unwittingly covered
up as well as his mouth, but by dnt
of much wriggling and squirming he
finally had managed to uncover his val
liable middle feature
They were chilled with cold and too
numb to walk or even talk for awhile.
so long had they been in their uncom-
Portable, cramped positions. Timmy
Mulligan was the first to tune up his
familiar little piping voice. Turning
to Mark, with an anxious little frown
on his freckled forehead he wanted to
know If his father knew anything of
his being captured. Yes" said Mark
"he knows all about it and you shall
be the first to carry news to him of
the finding OF the missing boys" Civ
ing whatever assistance they could to
their friends, Mark, and his followers
foot of the slide.
When they saw the Ruckford boys
their former vanquishers, tied hand and
foot they could not restrain their
laughter, cold and benumbed as they
still felt This outburst helped consid-
erably in warming them up, but seemed
to. have most disturbing effect upon
the crestfallcn Terriers" Still they
could do little more than turn their
faces from the merry onlookers who
laughed best because they laughed
last"
The dying gladiators" as somebody
dubbed them vowed all kinds of trou-
bic would befall their captors if they
kept them tied up much longer.
When they learned of the capture
of their leader their present position
did not seem half so miserable.
80 you have caught Beetles at last
have your asked Max Seely of Mark
What are you going to do with him.
But Mark was apparently not listen
ing; he had withdrawn at this juncture
and was having little conference with
his friends He was proposing to bring
Beetles to the blue slide and try to
conclude some sort of peace pact with
the boys Of Ruckford in regard to the
slide. 1T is good opportunity for
us to make some sort of compromise
with them for we may never again
have him and his Terriers in such
fine fix"
All agreed that this was a very wise
suggestion and four of the boys were
dispatched to bring Beetles to them.
In about half an hour they returned
with the detected Beetles. fanked on
either side by the limping Tony and
the triumphant Mark, with Herman
and Beetles former guards bringing up
the rear.
AS the hour was getting late and the
younger boys were half asleep, Mark
suggested that they get down to bust
ness without any further ado
The result of this conference was
that the Ruckford boys agreed to do
all that they could toward arranging
to have a contest in which those get
ting the victory were to remain in un-
disputed possession of the slide for a
certain period. In return for this the
Ruckford boys were given their free
dom.
Mark suggested that they hold the
contest on the coming fourth of July
celebration. which had been scheduled
to be held on Pickles hill near the blue
slide. Beetles was to see the fourth
or July committee of Ruckford on the
following Monday to lay the proposi-
tion before them. Mark was appoint
ed by the Yarrow boys to visit Beetles
on the afternoon OF that day at the
public library.
On the appointed day, just as the
sun was rising over the Yarrow noun
tains. Mark was starting on his jour
ney to Ruckford, seated on the back
OF his little pony "Bunnie." He was
very happy. and the responsibility of
his position as special messenger
TO Ruckford appealed to him as being
not unlike that OF the knights of old,
setting out to challenge a neighboring
town to combat He was too intent on
his errand to notice that a dozen Of
strongest bows HaFFOW
stealthily following in his wake.
young Thorpe appears to be very
happy" remarked one OF the boys
We'll doesn't he though" another re-
piled. but / wonder that he would
venture alone to Ruckford and be in
such a cheerful mood" laughed Billy
Jordan the largest of the boys "Oh
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