Surrounded on either side and the rear by the armed men, the youths approached what they suddenly realized was to be made their prison.
"Wait," commanded the leader, as they reached the door.
He stepped in first and took a position at the far side of the damp, dark room, and then commanded the others to enter, each under a guard.
"Now then," he exclaimed, "are you going to come across peacefully?"
Jack looked him squarely in the eye for fully half a minute, then deliberately winked, knowingly.
The leader regarded him with poorly-disguised surprise, then seemed to grasp his meaning.
"Here," he demanded curtly, indicating the way through another door, "I want to talk to you."
They passed into the other room, the revolver within a foot of Jack's head. Once out of sight of the others, however, and he smiled meaningly, leaning close to his captor and whispering, "Upstairs," at the same time nodding toward the stairway.
"What for?" the man asked, suspiciously.
"I know what you want," Jack responded. "I guess we can get along all right. No use letting the others in on it. Maybe I can tell you something in addition, if you make it worth while."