d. Ernie
whispered the word "Halt" loud enough for his companions to hear him.
They gathered around their leader, who hurriedly spoke thus:

"Now, everybody listen to me for orders. When I give the word, 'fire,'
you, Paul, John, Harry and Jerry, fire your guns into the air. Be
careful, and shoot up toward the tops of the trees, so as not to hit
anyone. Then I'll give the order to charge, and everybody let out an
Indian war-whoop or something of the sort. We won't have to do any
more shooting. Now, come on; we'll get closer. Those fellows are
starting now."

Even as he spoke, the two villainous individuals, with masks on their
faces, dashed out from the timber and planted themselves in front of
the automobile, with pistols leveled at the driver. The latter,
according to the plan outlined in his note discovered by "Johnny
Two-Times," slowed down the machine before the highwaymen appeared. At
the command to halt he came to a sudden stop and threw up his hands.

"Ready!--Fire!" commanded Ernie in a loud voice.

Two magazine shotguns and two target rifles exploded in quick
succession. Without giving the two hold-up men time to determine
whether they had been hit or not, the patrol leader issued his second
order, thus:

"Now, boys, after them! Charge! No quarter for the rascals!"

Then followed a scene that, for rapidity of action, is not often
surpassed by motion picture speed artists.

* * * * *

CHAPTER VIII.

THE EAVESDROPPER.

If the two masked highwaymen had been crouching in position for a
footrace to be started at the shot of a pistol, they could hardly have
sprung forward more suddenly or have sped down the road more rapidly.
One glance over their shoulders at what doubtless appeared to them to
be something like a regiment of armed men was pouring out of the
timber, as one of the boys afterward put it, was enough to make them
"hot-foot along hot enough to melt all the ice and snow in their
path."

All of the boys now produced the flashlights which they had carried in
their pockets and turned them on to their own faces, in order that Mr.
Stanlock might see who they were and have no doubt that they were
friends. This was according to one detail of their pre-arranged plan,
and worked successfully. The owner of the automobile recognized his
nephew, Clifford Long, and the Scout uniforms worn by the boys, and
realized at once that he had been rescued from the hands of a