himself every
little while, it might be judged that his thoughts were agreeable, on
the whole.

Surely a whole hour and more must have passed since Steve and Bandy-legs
started out to assume their duty as guards over the fox farm. Thus far
nothing had been heard from the videttes, who were undoubtedly carrying
out their orders to the best of their ability.

Max suddenly became aware that certain low sounds came to his ears. At
first he thought some branch of a tree must be tapping the low eaves of
the cabin being stirred to and fro by the breeze. As he listened
further, however, it struck Max that there was a strange continuity
about the sounds; they seemed to come in little fragments, with a brief
hush between.

The boy was instantly reminded of certain experiences he himself had had
in using a telegraph key while sending a message over the wires or
listening to the sounder rattle off one from some distant point. Rude
and uncouth though the dots and dashes were, Max quickly found that he
could make out a positive word; and it was the significant one of
"free!"

Gently he managed to turn his head in the direction of the spot where
the man had lain down. He still seemed to be sprawled there under the
blanket. A movement caught the eye of Max, and he saw Obed holding up a
finger at him in mute warning. Thrilled by a sense of impending tragedy,
perhaps, Max watched the woods boy slowly but constantly making toward
him. Obed moved with the noiseless nature of a black snake creeping over
the ground; his footfalls were so light that even a trained ear could
not have detected them. He kept on toward Max until soon he had managed
to reach the other's side.

Still those plain taps continued to sound in regular rotation, first
coming from the outside, and then closer. Max believed the man on the
floor was making use of his shoe to send a message calling for help; and
that some unknown party outside was giving him words of hope.

But Obed had now gained his side, and meant to whisper something in his
ear, so Max prepared to pay full attention. At the same time he glanced
toward the door apprehensively, and was pleased to discover that, just
as he believed had been the case, the bar was in position, so that entry
could not be made by any enemy from without.

CHAPTER XIII

OBED LEARNS SOMETHING

"There's something brooding," Obed whispered the first thing; and then
continued by saying: "What are those queer little