At first Jimmy had thought of flight, but the nearness of his captors made this impossible. He took his seat without a word, and soon was being driven away.
Before a small frame house, at the far end of town, upon the very brink of the creek, Dick pulled up, and Jones and Jimmy alighted. As they approached the house, an old man came to meet them.
“And is this the boy I am to guard?” he asked.
“It is,” replied Jones.
“Well, I’ll guard him,” was the reply, and the old man bared his ugly teeth in a snarl.
He took Jimmy by the coat collar, and twisted it until the boy gasped.
“Get in the house there, you!” he commanded.
Jimmy obeyed. Jones climbed back into the carriage and was soon being driven away. The old man followed Jimmy closely, snarling at every step.
CHAPTER XVII.—THE LONG SEARCH.
“I wonder what is detaining Jimmy?”