At sight of the three men, Enid uttered a piercing scream. Madge made a wild break for the cellar door but half way across the room she was clutched roughly by the shoulder and flung backwards with such force that she fell to the floor.
“So you thought you would meddle, eh?”
She started to retort but the words froze on her lips. Distinctly, she had heard footsteps on the porch! It was too much to hope that rescue was at hand.
Then the door was flung wide and two young men with drawn revolvers stepped into the room. Close behind were several policemen.
“Rex!” Enid cried joyfully.
“Jack French!” Madge exclaimed.
She had no time to wonder how he came to be there, for in the next few minutes, everything was confusion. Undaunted by the odds against them, the three kidnappers dashed out the light. Furniture crashed to the floor and an occasional bullet flew. Through it all the girls clung tightly together and huddled in a corner.
The kidnappers put up a desperate but losing battle and soon were subdued. Someone lighted a lantern. Madge was relieved to see that no one was seriously injured. The police lined the kidnappers up and took them away under close guard.
At the first opportunity, Enid had gone to her father’s side, cutting the ropes which bound him.
“Tell us everything,” she urged. “Who are these dreadful men and why did they want the Zudi Drum?”