“Snadder!” yelled Frank, spying the place at the edge of the lake, the cabins coming into view, “you fellows can stay right here for a little while and four of us will go down there.”
With this Frank detailed four of the boys to watch the two prisoners, while he took three others with him to go down to Jeek’s camp and learn what they could do.
“It depends on the way you two fellows act now, as to what we’ll do,” Frank said to the tall tramp. “If you make a move or do anything to spoil our plans, it is going to go hard with you.”
The four boys moved away, dropping easily down the hill, watching the smoke issuing from the larger of the two cabins, taking the chance that Jeek and his cronies would never think of trouble coming from the boys whom they had left so well imprisoned.
It took but a few minutes to get down to the level of the lake and to get behind a small grove of trees to watch the cabin.
“They are just sitting in there doing nothing,” muttered Lanky, who with Paul, Buster and Frank, had come down on the final errand.
Gradually the boys closed in on the cabin, sneaking through the little grove of trees until they were within fifty yards of the place.
“It’s a dash now, fellows,” Frank said. “Lets all get to the front door as quickly as we can, and go in there suddenly. Ready?”
At the signal the four boys dashed across the open space, up to the door of the cabin, and, throwing it wide open, all four rushed into the place.
Not a soul in sight! The fire was booming, showing the men had recently been there. But there was now no sign of the presence of Jeek or any one of his companions.