im! He
ought to get a medal for that!"

It was some moments before he realized fully that he had gained a respite,
temporarily, at least. Obviously the two men who had been searching with
flashlights had followed Dick; there was at least a good chance that no one
else knew about him. He had decided that there was some system of signal
wires that rang an alarm when a trap was sprung. But it might be that these
two men were the only ones who were supposed to follow up such an alarm.

He carried a flashlight himself, and now he took the chance of playing it
on his ankle, to see if there was any chance of escape. He hooded the light
with his hand and looked carefully. But what he saw was not encouraging.
The steel band looked most formidable. It was on the handcuff principle and
any attempt to work his foot loose would only make the grip tighter and
increase his suffering. His spirits fell at that. Then the only thing his
brief immunity would do for him would be to keep him in pain a little
longer. He would be caught anyhow, and he guessed that, if Dick got away,
he would find his captors in a savage mood.

Even as he let the flashlight wink out, since it was dangerous to use it
more than was necessary, he heard a cautious movement within a few feet. At
first he thought it was an animal he had heard, so silent were its
movements. But in a moment a hand touched his own. He started slightly, but
kept quiet.

"Hush--I'm a friend," said a voice, almost at his elbow. "I thought you
were somewhere around here, but I couldn't find you until you flashed your
light. You're caught in a trap, aren't you?"

"Yes," said Dick. "Who are you?"

"That's what I want to know about you, first," said the other boy--for it
was another boy, as Harry learned from his voice. Never had a sound been
more welcome in his ears than that voice! "Tell me who you are and what you
two were doing around here. I saw you this afternoon and tracked you. I
tried to before, but I couldn't, on account of your motorcycles. Then I
just happened to see you, when you were on foot. Are you Boy Scouts?"

"Yes," said Harry. "Are you?"

"Yes. That's why I followed--especially when I saw you coming in here.
We've got a patrol in the village, but most of the scouts are at work in
the fields."

Rapidly, and in a whisper, Harry explained a little, enough to make this
new ally understand.

"You'd better get out, if you know how, and take word," said Harry. "I
think