THE ROVER BOYS Boxed Set: 26 Illustrated Adventure Novels. Stratemeyer Edward

suffer for the way you have treated my father and me in the past."

      "I have no doubt, Baxter, now I am helpless, that you will do your worst. You were always ready to take an unfair advantage of another."

      This answer made Dan Baxter boil with rage, and he stepped closer and shook his fist in Tom's face.

      "You be careful or I'll — I'll crack you one," he blustered.

      "You're a cheerful brute, Dan, I must say. Why don't you try to fight fair for once? It would be such a delightful change."

      "I do fight fair. You and your brothers have no right to poke your noses in my affairs, and my father's."

      "This affair out here is our own, not yours. The Eclipse Mine is my father's property."

      "And I say it belongs to me and dad," answered Dan, with more force than elegance. "But I won't argue with you. You are in our power and have got to take the consequence."

      "What do you intend to do with me?" asked Tom.

      "You'll find out soon enough."

      "Don't you know that my brothers are in this neighborhood, and that they have the law on their side?"

      "Yes, I know your brothers are here — and we'll have them prisoners, too, before long," returned Dan Baxter, and then cut the conversation short by walking away.

      Tom had managed to speak bravely enough, yet his heart was by no means light. He realized that the Baxters had not forgotten the past, and that here, in this wild country, they were more inclined than ever to take the law in their own hands.

      He was left alone for the best part of an hour, only Noxton seeing to it that he did not run away. Then he was ordered to mount again, his legs being liberated for that purpose.

      Feeling it would be foolhardy to refuse, with three men and a boy against him, Tom mounted, and the whole party moved along the mountain to a spot which was evidently well-known to Noxton. Here, at a certain point, was what had once been an overland hotel, but the building was now dilapidated and deserted.

      "We'll stop here for the present," said Arnold Baxter grimly. "Get down, Rover," and Tom obeyed.

      Inside of the place, two of the rooms were found in fair condition and in one of these Tom was tied fast to a cupboard door. Then the men went out for another parley.

      The youth could not hear all that was said, but learned enough to convince him that Al Roebuck, as he was called, was the party who had forged the pardon which had obtained for Arnold Baxter his liberty. For this work Roebuck had been promised a half share in the Eclipse Mine, and of some money which Baxter the elder was hoping to obtain.

      At last Arnold Baxter and Dan came in once more and faced Tom.

      "Rover, we are now ready to come to terms," began the man.

      "Are you ready to release me?"

      "Yes — under certain conditions."

      "You've got to sign off all rights to that mine," broke in Dan.

      "Dan, keep quiet," interposed his father. "I can do this better alone."

      "I know him better than you do, dad," returned his graceless son.

      "Perhaps, but I am fully capable of making terms with him."

      "All right, fire away, I don't care. Only don't let him off too easy."

      "I am anxious to settle this matter quietly," went on Arnold Baxter to Tom. "I don't want any more trouble."

      "Well, go ahead, I'm listening," came from Tom.

      "You are out here to locate a certain mine."

      "I don't deny it. The mine belongs to my father."

      "It belongs to me — and I am bound to have it."

      "You are a jailbird, Mr. Baxter. How can you hold such a property now?"

      The criminal winced and clenched his fists.

      "Don't be quite so plain-spoken, Rover, it doesn't set well. I say the claim is mine."

      "Well?"

      "You are in my power."

      "Granted."

      "Isn't your life worth something to you? To be sure it is. Then why not try to make terms to save it?"

      "You are fooling with me. You cannot be it earnest, Arnold Baxter."

      "You'll soon see if dad aint in earnest," burst out Dan.

      "I am not fooling, Rover, I mean every word of what I say. If you want to save your life you must make terms with me."

      "What sort of terms?"

      "You must write a letter to your brothers and the man who was with you and get them to return without delay to the East."

      "And after that?"

      "After they have returned to the East we will set you free, providing you swear to follow them and all of you swear to keep out of Colorado in the future."

      "And if I refuse?"

      "If you refuse your life shall pay the forfeit," answered Arnold Baxter. "Come now, which do you choose?"

      CHAPTER XXVII

       DASH FOR LIBERTY

       Table of Contents

      For the minute after Arnold Baxter spoke Tom had nothing to say. The man had offered terms, and if he did not accept them his very life would be in danger.

      Now, had Tom been the hero of some dime novel he would have shouted at once, "I refuse your offer — do your worse, base villain that you are!" But being an everyday American boy, with a proper regard for his own life, he revolved the situation in his mind with great care.

      "Well, what do you say?" demanded Arnold Baxter impatiently.

      "You had better accept dad's offer," broke in Dan.

      "I don't know what to say," was the slow answer. "This, you must remember, is brand new to me."

      "My offer is a very fair one, Rover. You have gotten yourself in a bad fix, and you can consider yourself lucky if you get out of it with a whole skin."

      "If I write the letter, how are you going to deliver it to my two brothers and Jack Wumble?"

      "We will find a way."

      "And supposing they refuse to go back, what then? I won't be to blame for that."

      "They won't refuse — not when they realize that such a refusal means death to you."

      "They may. Dick is quite headstrong at times. I don't want to do what I can for you and then suffer anyway."

      "Well, if you do your best I will remember it when it comes to a final settlement," responded Arnold Baxter, with more grace than Tom had anticipated.

      "Let me think it over for a few hours, and I will give you an answer," said the boy, and though they coaxed and threatened, neither of the Baxters could get any more out of him. At last they left him in disgust, first, however, seeing to it that his bonds were as tight as ever.

      As soon as Tom was left alone he looked around for some means by which he might escape from his tormentors. The room was square, with a small window at one side and a broad fireplace at the other. At one end was the door and at the other the cupboard to which he had been fastened.

      In his schooldays Tom had been a great hand at doing rope tricks, and when his hands had been tied he had taken care to make his enemies adjust the lariat as loosely as possible. Now, with a dexterous twist or two he cleared his hands, although the effort drew blood on one of his wrists. But, under the circumstances, Tom counted this as nothing.

      As soon as he was