!" gasped Elephant, whose eyes were almost sticking out
of his head with the excitement.

"I guess it's Jules, all right," Andy managed to say; as he too took in
a long breath, while he thrust the lamp out further so that all could
see better.

Something lay in the hole, something that took on the outlines of a man
flat on his face, and with a heavy log almost squeezing the last bit of
breath from his body. A broken old gun, that looked like one of the
muskets used in the Civil War, lay close beside him, and had evidently
been dropped when the trap was sprung without warning, after the victim
had started to crawl into the shed by way of this inviting opening.

"Yes, it's our old friend, Jules, come to pay us another night visit,"
observed Frank, coolly as he handed the shotgun to Larry, and bending
down proceeded to draw both arms of the senseless man behind him,
fastening them securely with a stout cord which he drew from his
pocket, having prepared for this same event in advance.

"Is he killed?" asked Elephant, in an awe-struck voice.

"Sure he isn't," replied Larry, who had seen the man moving, as though
his senses might be coming back.

Five minutes later he opened his eyes, and stared hard at the array of
boyish faces before him. Evidently Jules may have suspected that the
Bird boys would be sleeping in their precious shop; but he had hardly
imagined that he would run up against a whole school there.

Frank had meanwhile tied his ankles as well, and helped drag him
further into the shop. When the man started to using language that was
offensive, he warned him plainly that if he kept that up any longer
they would find some means of gagging him. The threat served to keep
him quiet, though from the black looks on his face it was evident that
the fellow was extremely bitter against them all.

It was now three o'clock. Since all of them were too much excited to
even try to sleep any more, they concluded to remain on guard in a
bunch. Larry received no end of joshing on account of having slept on
his post; Frank even told him that it was considered so serious a
matter that men had been stood up against a wall, and shot for allowing
the enemy to creep into camp.

"All right," said Larry, who hung onto the gun all the while. "Let's
see you do it right now. I'm the only one that's got a shooting iron,
and I refuse to give it up, or use it on myself. Call it off, Frank,
and we'll begin all over," and so,