No one was yet asleep, and the boys were calling from one to the other, while the wind howled outside as if a blizzard were upon them.
Suddenly there came loud rappings on the heavy front door!
Bang! Bang! Bang!
“Who is that?” cried Frank, jumping from his bunk and making for the front room.
“Quick! Quick! Open the door! It’s Snadder and Blinky! For heaven’s sake save us! Open the door quick!”
The boys were silent. They looked at each other askance. Was this some trick or not? Frank’s mind worked quickly, shrewdly, and he determined, from the sound of their voices that this was real, more real, perhaps, than the boys realized.
He strode to the door to throw it open.
CHAPTER XXII
HUNTING TIMBER WOLVES
As the door was thrown wide open, Snadder and Blinky staggered in and fell to the floor, almost completely exhausted, breathing hard, excited, afraid!
Frank slammed the door shut immediately, dropping the latch into place while the other boys gathered in a circle about the two tramps.