While he lay pondering over the possibilities of the day, the leader of the party came to his side.
“How do you feel this morning, my boy?” he asked lightly.
“I feel like I’d like to stretch my legs a little,” was the reply.
“If I gave you the privilege,” asked the other, “will you promise to make no attempt to escape?”
“I’m not making any promises,” Clay replied, “so I suppose I’ll have to remain where I am.”
“But you can’t get away,” the leader insisted.
“How do you know I can’t get away?” replied Clay, laughing up into the man’s face.
“Because we’ve got you tied hard and fast,” was the reply.
“I’ve read in the papers,” the leader went on, “about this Captain Joe bulldog of yours and this Teddy bear cub doing wonderful things in the way of helping you boys out of trouble, but they are up against the impossible here.”
“I’m sorry,” Clay said with a shrug of the shoulders, “but you know just as well as I do that no game is ever played out as it should be until the last card is on the table.”