Putting down his pail and basket, he untied one hand of each boy, so that he might help himself. The meal was a scant one, but everything tasted good and they ate with a relish.
"How long do you expect us to remain standing up?" asked Fred, who was growing tired.
"I'll 'tend to that, don't worry. Here, if you want some water now is your chance for a drink. You can each have a cupful."
Both were thirsty and each took the cupful of water readily.
"Let me have some more, please?" pleaded Fred.
"Not now. It's too much bother to bring the stuff such a distance. You can have another cupful at supper time," was the short answer.
As it was useless to argue, the two prisoners did not attempt to do so. They waited to see what would be the next movement of their masked captor. They saw him withdraw to a distance, and presently begin to smoke a pipe through a small hole in the head covering he still wore.
"Say, I'm getting sleepy," declared Fred, quarter of an hour later.
"Well, I'm sleepy myself," answered Joe. He gave a long yawn. "It seems to be coming on me all at once."
"That's the way with me." Fred also yawned. "Oh, dear, this is fierce! Wonder what makes it?"