the tires. They lurched and bumped alarmingly. Once they had to
stop to allow the chauffeur to drag some obstruction out of the way.
Evidently they had not had the car that way before, for the chauffeur
said anxiously:

"Are you sure we can get through?"

The resolute voice answered: "We've got to."

The chauffeur said: "I couldn't turn around here."

The other voice replied: "There's a clear space in front of the house."

This way was not very long; a quarter of a mile, Evan guessed. They
came to a stop, and the two men climbed out over Evan. He was
unceremoniously dragged out feet foremost. They carried him a short
distance--Evan heard grass or verdure swishing around their legs. They
entered a house and laid him down on a floor, a rough worn floor.

Here Evan heard a new voice, a woman's voice with slurred accents and a
fat woman's laugh. The strong-voiced man said:

"Here's a guest for you, Aunt Liza."

"Lawsy! Lawsy! What divelment you been up to now!"

A general laugh went round. To the bound Evan it had a blackguardedly
and infamous sound.

He was abruptly turned over on his face. While one man held the folds
of the comforter tightly round his head, the other two knelt on his
back and, pulling his arms behind him, tied his wrists together. Evan
put up the best struggle he could against such heavy odds. The man who
had taken the principal part against him laughed.

"You see, there's life in him yet," he said.

After his wrists they tied his ankles, and got up from him. The
comforter was still over Evan's head, and he was powerless to throw it
off. The same voice said:

"After we're out of the room you can uncover his head, and give him
air. And feed him when dinner's ready."

A door closed.

CHAPTER XV

THE CLUB HOUSE

The coverlet was thrown back from Evan's head, and breathing deep with
relief, he saw bending over him a grinning, fat negress, not
evil-looking, but merely simple in expression.

She exclaimed like a child: "Laws! it's a pretty man!"

"Where am I?" asked Evan.

"Deed, I do' know, chile!"

"I'll pay you well if you'll help me out of here."

"Deed, I cain't help you, honey. I'm here, but I don' know where it is
no more than you do. White folks brung me here, and white folks will
take me away again I reckon."

Evan looked around him. He seemed to be in a room of an ancient
abandoned farm-house. There was no furniture. The ceiling was low;
the g