o prepare for a greater
effort, when Lester uttered an exclamation of alarm and jumped from
under him.

"Great Moses!" exclaimed Bob, who came to the ground with fearful
violence. "Do you want to kill a fellow?"

"No," said Lester, whose voice trembled so that it was almost
inaudible. "There's somebody coming!"

Before Bob could ask any more questions, a loud, shrill whistle,
which sounded only a little distance away, rang through the quarters,
followed almost immediately by the impatient yelp of a hound. The
young prowlers were frightened almost out of their senses. Before
they could make up their minds what ought to be done, a voice
shouted:

"Here they be! Take 'em, fellers! Take 'em down!"

Another impatient yelp and the rush of feet on the hard road told the
boys that Don Gordon's hounds were coming. This aroused them, and
showed them the necessity of making an effort to escape. It was
useless to run; the only place of safety was the roof of the cabin,
and they made the most frantic efforts to reach it. They darted
quickly around the corner of the building, sprang upon the porch and
squirmed up the posts with the agility of monkeys. But with all their
haste they did not have a second to spare. They had scarcely left the
porch before the hounds bounded up the steps and a pair of gleaming
jaws came together with a snap close to Lester's foot, which he drew
out of the way just in time to escape being caught. Panting and
almost breathless with terror the two boys crept cautiously up the
roof--the moss-covered shingles were so slippery that it was all they
could do to keep from sliding off among the hounds--and seating
themselves on the ridge-pole looked at each other and at the savage
brutes from which they had so narrowly escaped. Then they looked all
around to find the person who had set the dogs upon them, but could
see nothing of him.

[Illustration: Treed by Don Gordon's Hounds.]

"Where has he gone, I wonder?" said Lester, who was the first to
speak.

"Haven't the least idea," replied Bob.

"Who was it?"

"Don't know that, either. It didn't sound to me like Don's voice,
but it sounded like his whistle, and if it was him, I wish he'd come
and call the dogs off. I am willing to give up now, Lester. Luck is
always on his side, and if he will let us go home without making any
fuss about it, I'll promise to leave him alone in future."

Lester could not find fault with his companion for losing his coura