. But the boy's master demanded to know in
what direction his prisoner and the women had run. Jeff would not
tell. He had managed to escape from the angry men and, guided by some
instinct, he had found his friends in the woods.

"Jeff declares he will show us a way through the island that no one
will be able to follow," announced Lieutenant Lawton to Miss Jenny Ann.
"Will you allow him to go on with us? The boy has been so good to me
that I am going to look after him for the rest of my days."

"Have the men started after us?" inquired Madge.

It took Lieutenant Lawton some time to find out. At last Jeff made him
understand. The men had absolutely no idea of any difficulty in
overtaking their prisoner and bringing him back to his late jail. They
believed that he had no way of escaping from the island, no weapons and
no friends except a company of young girls, who would be more of a
hindrance to him than a help if he meant to resist recapture.

Jeff announced that he had left the men fighting the flames in the
prison house. They meant to put out the fire before they followed the
fugitives.

It was now almost dark. The woods were thick with shadows. The party
stumbled on. Had it not been for Jeff, they must have spent the night
in the forest. But the deaf and dumb boy had the gift of remarkable
sight. He could see almost as well by night as by day. No other mortal
man could have traced the route by which he led his friends home. Jeff
was a creature of the out-doors. He knew his deserted island
thoroughly.

It was only a little after ten o'clock when the party of three women
and two men arrived at the lodge.

Before they got inside the door they caught a whiff of a grateful odor.
Lillian and Eleanor had put a great part of their last rations into a
big kettle of soup. The last can of tomatoes had been sacrificed, the
last half dozen potatoes. Nothing remained but some musty corn meal, a
few teaspoons of tea and a little sugar. Unless relief came soon the
houseboat party would truly have to be fed from Heaven.

CHAPTER XXI

BACK TO THE "MERRY MAID"

"Rather than put you in this position I would have stayed ten years in
that hole," groaned Jimmy Lawton.

The group of young people were huddled close about their wood fire. It
was a little past midnight. Each moment they expected to hear a sound
at the door that would mean a fight or else the surrender of their
captive. The two men would come to the lodge w