worse by jumping on that rascal,” said Bob. “When I saw him threatening you I saw red.”
“Anyhow,” declared Frank, “if we had captured them, Uncle George, without being surprised by these others, we might have used them as hostages to obtain our freedom.”
Mr. Temple shook his head.
“Perhaps,” said he, “but it was a very long chance. However, we shall have to make the best of it.”
“At least we have won a respite,” said Jack. “We have pretty well laid out their two leaders. They won’t recover for some time to come, if I’m any judge of broken heads. And meantime it isn’t likely, is it, that this other fellow, who seems to be one of their lieutenants, will do anything to us?”
“Probably you are right, Jack,” said Mr. Temple, “and we will be kept prisoners but not harmed, pending the recovery of this ‘Black George’ if not the Chinaman. But afterward——”
He left the sentence unfinished, but Bob took up his thought.
“We can face that when we have to, Dad,” he said. “We’re safe enough.”
“Yes, I presume we are safe for the present,” said his father. “Nevertheless, do you realize there is no friend at large who has any idea of our whereabouts, or knew that we came sightseeing to Chinatown tonight?
We did not tell the clerk at the hotel. The only persons who know are the people that villain declared are his creatures—the head waiter at the restaurant, and the chauffeur and our original guide.”