A long guide rope was dragging from the car of the balloon.
"Follow me, Bud. The balance of you catch Creviss and the rest of them. I'm going with Riley."
Before they knew exactly what he meant, Ted grasped the guide rope as it passed over his head, and was swung out of the saddle and dangled in the air, to the horror of the people, who expected to see him fall and be dashed to pieces at any minute, for the balloon had shot up rapidly and was now several hundred feet above the ground.
But Riley, looking over the country and taking account of the direction in which the balloon was traveling, was unaware that he had taken on another passenger.
Hand over hand Ted climbed steadily, until at last he reached the car and looked over the edge of it.
Riley's back was toward him, and noiselessly Ted slipped over the side and into the basket.
Then the midget happened to turn his head, and saw Ted and uttered a frightened cry, which brought Riley around so that he found himself looking into the cold, dark bore of Ted's forty-four.
"Got you!" said Ted coolly.
"How did you get here?" said Riley, trying to smile. "If I'd known that you wanted to come I'd have waited for you."
"I don't think," said Ted. "But now we'll go down."