sy there, sis!" said Jeff, with a roar of laughter. "You can't make
me mad. Orders is orders, you know, and you did wrong when you run away
like you did. And I ain't tellin' you who the boss is. What you don't
know won't hurt you--and that goes for your friends, too."

He left them alone then, and a faint hope was left behind him. Now that
she had the chance, Bessie turned her attention to Zara. There was
water in the cabin, and in a few minutes she had revived her chum, and
was able to tell her what had happened. Poor Zara seemed to be
completely overcome.

"Oh, Bessie, we haven't got a chance this time!" she said. "I'll have to
go back and work for Farmer Weeks, and you--will they make you go back
to Maw Hoover?"

"Never say die, Zara! As long as the yacht stays in the cove there is a
chance that we'll be rescued. That man didn't know it, but he'll never
be able to make Miss Eleanor believe we're not on this yacht.
Listen--what's that?"

There was a sound of hasty footsteps outside, and Jeff came in
hurriedly. He slipped back a panel at one side of the cabin, and
revealed a little closet.

"In there with you--both of you!" he said. "And I'm sorry, but you'll
have to be quiet, and there's only one way."

In a trice their hands and feet were bound, and handkerchiefs were
stuffed into their mouths. Then they were pushed into the closet and the
panel was slipped back into place. They were helpless. Unable to speak,
or to beat hands or feet against the thin wood, there was no way in
which they could make their presence known. And in a moment they knew
the reason for this precaution. For, through the wood of the panel,
wafer thin, they heard Miss Eleanor's voice.

"You can't deceive me, sir!" they heard her say. "Those girls must be on
this yacht, and I warn you that you had better give them up. Kidnapping
is a serious offence in this state."

"You can see for yourself they're not here, ma'am," said Jeff. "And I
don't take this kindly at all, ma'am. Why, when I saw the fire in your
camp, I went ashore with my men to try to help you--and now you make
this charge against us."

"I certainly do!" said Eleanor, with spirit. "I am quite sure that this
is the only place where my girls can be, and I mean to have them back.
As to the fire, you helped us, it is true. But I am as certain as I can
be of anything that you had something to do with starting it before you
tried to put it out!"

"There's no use talking to you,