erved, nodding; "because here are the plain tracks of a wagon; it
came in lately too, and went out again. The tracks show that it was here
since that last little shower, which was two nights back. Now for the
mill, Sid."

Gripping their cudgels tightly in their hands; and with compressed lips,
as well as determined-looking faces, the little bunch of boys followed
the sunken lane as it left the main road, and ran into a wilderness of
woodland.

Then suddenly they realized that there was a musical sound of dripping
water close by. It seemed to thrill every nerve, and make six boyish
hearts beat at a double pace.

Two minutes later, on emerging from the tangle, they saw the ruined old
mill before them. And it certainly did look just as "spooky" as Sid had
declared, when he suggested that they might find their missing comrade
hidden there.

CHAPTER XII

A BROKEN DOOR

Fred took charge of the combined forces. Somehow the others appeared to
look to him to do this.

"Seems to be all boarded up across the windows," he remarked.

"I told you I'd heard the owner did that a long time ago," said Sid, at
his elbow.

"And the doors look like they might be locked tight, too," Fred
continued.

"Oh! we can bust one in; that's easy," chuckled Bristles, who was always
ready to proceed to extreme methods; where Fred might think to try
strategy, he would attempt force.

"But they must have found some way to get in; and unless we made sure to
guard that point, they'd have a way to escape handy," the leader went
on.

"Say, wouldn't that be hard luck, though?" Corney exclaimed; "for us to
rush in one door, and have the bunch of kidnappers pop out another."

"I'd be half sick if I didn't get a chance to see who they are,"
ventured little Semi-Colon.

"And me, if I lost a splendid opportunity to use this lovely club,"
Bristles remarked, swinging the article in question around his head,
until it fairly whistled through the air.

"Is there any hole they might get out of, Sid?" asked Fred.

"Well," replied the other, speedily; "if I was in there, and heard some
hot-headed fellows banging on the door with all sorts of clubs, I think
I'd make a break for the old wheel, and take my chances climbing down.
If one of the rotten paddles broke, it'd mean a ducking in the pond
below; but I'd risk that."

"All right," Fred said, quickly; "we'll try to stop up that leak,
Corney."

"That's me," replied the other, stepping out