ghten me."

"Don't you put on airs with me. You're in our power now," jeered Donald.
"I'll make you suffer for the way you've treated me."

"It would be like you to take advantage of the fact that my arms are
tied," retorted Jack.

Donald came a step closer and stuck his fist under Jack's nose.

"You be careful, or I'll crack you one," he snarled.

"You're a nice sort of an individual, I must say. Why don't you try fair
dealing for a change?"

"I do deal fair. It's you that don't. I----"

"That will do," interrupted his father; "I've been talking with Bill and
he says he knows a place where we can take this young bantam and leave
him till he cools off."

"You mean that you are going to imprison me?" demanded Jack indignantly.

"You may call it that, if you like," said Judson imperturbably; "you are
quite too clever a lad to have at large."

"Where are you taking me to?"

"You'll find that out soon enough. Now then, forward march and, if you
attempt to make an outcry, you'll feel this on your head."

Judson, with a wicked smile, flourished a stout club under the captive
boy's nose.

CHAPTER XIV.

JACK'S CURIOSITY AND ITS RESULTS.

"What do you intend to do with me?" repeated Jack, as they hurried over
the rough ground, following Bill, who trudged ahead with the lantern.

"You'll find out quick enough, I told you before," said Donald.

"Don't you know that my friends are in the neighborhood? They will
invoke the law against you for this outrage."

"We know all about that," was the elder Judson's reply, "but we're not
worrying. We'll have them prisoners, too, before long."

Jack made no reply to this, but he judged it was an empty threat made to
scare him. He knew that nothing would have delighted Donald Judson more
than to see him breaking down. So he kept up a brave front, which he was
in reality far from feeling at heart.

From the bold manner in which Bill displayed the lantern as he led the
party on, Jack knew that the rascal must be familiar with the country,
and know it to be sparsely inhabited. So far as Jack could judge they
were retreating from the river and going up hill.

About an hour after they had started, Bill paused in front of an ancient
stone dwelling--or rather what had been a dwelling, for it was now
dilapidated and deserted.

"This is the place, boss," he grated, holding up his lantern so that its
rays fell on the old place, which looked as grim as a fortress.

"It