Although Terry was confident that it would be an easy matter to escape from the old stone house, she soon saw her mistake. For the building was originally a trading post of the early French explorers and had been built like a fort to withstand the raids of hostile Indians.
Terry examined the windows but the openings in the solid stone wall were nothing but narrow loopholes through which the shooting had been done in the early days. They were far too small for anyone to crawl through.
And the only door to the structure was the one which they had foolishly entered. Outside that door Jim Heron kept his eagle eyes alert.
“We’re in a nice trap!” whispered Prim. “How did we ever happen to get into a jam like this?” Prim’s face was deathly pale.
“Now Prim, don’t get panicky! There must be a way out!” comforted Terry. “It isn’t reasonable to think that we can be kept here as prisoners. And look at that old man,” exclaimed the girl, pointing through the narrow opening. “He’s grinning as if he’d done something smart. That’s what makes me wild. I hate to have anything put over on me!”
The girls stood with their arms around each other as they watched Jim Heron whose broad grin displayed his brown snaggle teeth.
“I wish he’d scowl,” said Prim. “He doesn’t look half as mean and sly as when he laughs. I wonder what he’s thinking about?”
“I can tell you that!” exploded Terry. “He’s thinking that we’re just a couple of dumb-bells, walking right into the trap that he and Bud Hyslop set for us. There is only one thing to do, Prim. We must get out of here!”
“But how, Terry?” asked her sister anxiously. “Don’t take chances. You know Dad wouldn’t like that.”
“Well, what’s to prevent us from just walking out past the old man? He wouldn’t dare to shoot us. It’s worth trying. Come on!”