“None,” answered Tom shortly. His face was pallid and set, though he did not show any other sign of fear.

“Hazelton?”

“One tree is as good as another,” Harry answered in a strangely quiet voice.

In the midst of an impressive silence, and with motions that seemed oddly unreal to the tended victims, Duff placed the two young engineers. A lariat was thrown over a low limb of each of the trees. Then, with slightly trembling hands the gambler adjusted a over the neck of each bound boy.

[ [!-- H2 anchor --] ]

CHAPTER XXII. TOM AND HARRY VANISH

“How d'ye like that, Rafe?” queried Jeff Moore, as Jim Duff stepped back and viewed the young engineers with a diabolical smile before giving the fatal signal.

“I don't like it,” muttered Bodson.

“No more do I.”

“Shall we stop it?”