“Well, wouldn’t this jar you!”
That was what Bob said.
“Say, it reminds me of when I was little, and used to get shut up in a dark closet for being bad.”
That was Ned’s contribution to the general conversation.
“I wish we’d yanked over his whole barn, and then gone on!”
This from Jerry, wrathfully.
“Well, it’s too bad it’s so gloomy in here that I can’t even see to read my notes, or look for any specimens,” lamented Professor Snodgrass.
Then they remained silent for a few minutes, going over in their minds their unpleasant situation. They sat on some saw horses which had been hastily thrust into their prison before the door had been locked.
“Seems to be a pretty solid sort of a place,”observed Ned, after a pause, during which he had pounded and kicked on the sides of their shack.
“It is,” agreed Jerry. “They don’t use smoke houses much any more, and as they were built years ago, when the farmers had lots of time, they made ’em solid. But I wonder how long he’s going to keep us here? The old villain! To have the nerve to ask us a thousand dollars for damages. Why, a hundred would more than pay him!”
“A hundred and fifty would, easily,” declared Ned, “and I’d be willing to settle on that basis, for we ought to be at Danforth now.”
They talked about their trouble for some time, and after an hour or two one of the hired men brought the prisoners some food. They ate heartily and a little later Mr. Muggins approached the smoke house.
“I can’t take you fellers over t’ court t’-day,” he announced, “because one of my hosses is sick. But I’ll take ye over fust thing in th’ mornin’, an’ I’ll have justice, too, unless ye want t’ pay me th’ thousand dollars now.”
“In the first place, we haven’t got it,” declared Jerry, “and, if we did have, we’d never pay that amount.”
“Then I’ll hold ye fer th’ proper authorities.”
“Are you going to keep us in this place all night?” demanded the professor. “If you do you will be liable for severe penalties.”
“I ain’t aimin’ t’ keep ye here over night,” went on Mr. Muggins. “I’m goin’ t’ put ye in th’ harness room right away.”
A little later the transfer was made, and, closely guarded, our friends were shifted to somewhat better quarters, though seemingly none the less secure. They were locked in a small room where hung many old, and some new harnesses, the apartment being partitioned off from the carriage house. The door was locked, and they were left alone, some blankets having been provided for beds, and the assurance given that they would soon have supper.
The day passed miserably and slowly. They could not see their airship from where they now were, and they feared lest something happen to it. Talk lagged among the boys, but the professor did not seem to mind his imprisonment, for he had light now to see to work on his notes, and he managed to capture several small bugs, which he put in his boxes that he had carried into his prison with him.
Supper was brought to them about dusk, and Jerry took the opportunity to demand of Mr.Muggins that they either be taken at once before a magistrate, or released on payment of one hundred and fifty dollars, which, he said was all it would cost to repair the barn.
But Mr. Muggins was obstinate, and would not listen to reason. He departed, locking the harness room door securely after him.
“Well, we might as well make up our minds to spend the night here,” said Bob gloomily. “Anyhow, I’m not hungry—at least for the present.”
“That’s a comfort,” observed Jerry somewhat sarcastically. He was walking idly about the room when his foot happened to knock against a board near the floor.
Quickly he stooped over, and inserted his fingers in a crack. There was just light enough left from the fast-closing day, to show that the board was loose.
“Look, fellows!” exclaimed the tall lad.
“What is it?” asked Ned.
“This board! I believe we can kick it off and get out!”
“Do it then!” urged Bob.
“No, not now,” said Jerry calmly. “It’s too early, and they’d hear the noise. Wait until after dark, when they’re all in bed, and we’ll escape.”
“But if we do get the board off,” objected Ned,“we’ll only be out in the main room of the carriage house.”
“That’s all right,” declared Jerry. “There are low windows there, and the doors don’t fasten as tightly as this one does. We can get out of the carriage house easily enough, sneak to the airship, and be off before that rascally farmer and his hired men know what’s up.”
“Good!” cried Professor Snodgrass. “I’ll help!”
They could hardly wait for the time to come. It got very dark, for the lantern had been taken away from them. At Jerry’s suggestion they stretched out on the blankets and tried to rest until it should be late enough to make the attempt to escape.
They could hear movements about the barnyard, and guessed that remedies were being administered to the sick horse. At last, however, all was quiet, and, waiting to give the farmer’s family time to get asleep, our heroes began to make ready to leave.
It was no easy matter to get the board off, but they finally managed it, and, after loosening another by the exercise of all their strength, they found they had a place big enough for them to squeeze through. Bob found it hard work, onaccount of his stoutness, and Ned and Jerry, who got out first, had to pull their chum from in front, while Professor Snodgrass pushed from behind. But it was finally accomplished, though poor Chunky said he felt as though his skin was all scraped off him.
“Now to get out of this place!” exclaimed Jerry eagerly. “It ought to be easy!”
They located a window, by the starlight shining through it, and found that they could slide it back. Then, by standing on boxes, they managed to get out of it, and, a few minutes later they found themselves on the ground, in the shadow of the carriage house—free.
“Oh, but it’s good to be out again!” exclaimed Ned, taking a long breath.
“No time for that now!” warned Jerry. “Hurry to the airship!”
They found theCometwhere it had landed. It did not seem to have been touched, but it was fastened to the earth by ropes, attached to several stones as anchors.
“Get in!” ordered Jerry to his chums in a whisper. “I’ll start the gas machine, and we’ll rise like a balloon before starting the propellers. Then they won’t hear us.”
Rapidly they climbed aboard. Soon the hissingof the gas generator told that vapor was being forced into the bag.
“Cast off!” ordered Jerry in a whisper, and the retaining ropes were loosened.
Up shot theCometas if glad to be free once more. Higher and higher she rose, until she was above the roof of the barn.
Then, just as Jerry was about to turn the power into the motor and start the propellers, there was the sound of a window being thrown up, and a voice they recognized as that of Mr. Muggins’s cried:
“Hold on there! Come back! Ye can’t escape like that!”
There was a flash of fire, and a loud report.
“He’s shooting at us!” cried Bob.