CHAPTER XXXIII

HELD CAPTIVES

"Now then, you chaps; are you going to come along quietly, or will we have to use force?" demanded the man who had hold of Jack.

"It depends on what you're going to do with us," replied the captain of the gun club.

"Well, I don't know what we are going to do with you," answered the man. "It will depend on what Andy says."

"Who's Andy?"

"That man who just captured your friend--the lad that tried to get away."

"Look here!" burst out Nat. "If you hurt Will, or any of us, we'll have you arrested. Hoptoads and hornets! but you haven't any right to treat us this way."

"Say, sonny, don't use such big words, or you might break an arm or leg," spoke the man sarcastically. "I've told you once that you hadn't any right to come here, but now that you're here, you'll have to put up with the consequences. You'll have to stay here, until Andy decides what to do with you."

"Well, you'd better go ask him to decide at once," suggested Sam. "We've got a long way to go back to camp, and we want to start."

"Now just take your time," advised the man. "You're not running this."

He took off his cap, and scratched his head in perplexity. He had a shock of thick, red hair, and for want of a better name, since he had not announced it, the lads dubbed him Sandy.

"Was that Andy, as you call him, who went in the big shed with Will?" asked Jack.

"That's him. He'll have to decide what to do with you, for I'm blessed if I know. He's the boss."

"Then go ask him," demanded Jack, backing up Sam's suggestion.

"I can't," was the reply.

"Why not?"

"Because Andy has given orders that no one but himself is allowed inside that shed, except on certain occasions."

"Is he afraid the big bird will get away?" asked Nat.

"What big bird?" inquired Sandy quickly. He took a tighter grip of Jack's arm, and the other men in the group, each of whom held one of the young captives, seemed waiting for Nat's reply.

"Oh, we know you've got some kind of a monster bird in that shed," went on Nat. "We heard it flying over our camp, and we came out here to see it."

"Is that all you came for?" asked Sandy.

"That's all," put in Jack. "We wanted to solve the mystery of the strange noises, and the queer marks in the snow."

"What queer marks in the snow?"

Jack told Sandy what he and his chums had seen, relating in detail how they had tried, on several occasions, to penetrate to the camp, and how, at length, they had made the trip on the sled.

"Now why don't you go tell Andy, who seems to be the head of this crowd, what I say, and ask him to let us go?" went on Jack. "We meant no harm, but we'd like to see the bird."

"So you think it's a bird; eh?"

"Yes, or perhaps some prehistoric monster."

Sandy laughed.

"You're right in thinking Andy is the head of this camp," he said. "We're all working for him, but, as I said, he won't let one of us go inside that shed without his orders. Since your friend went in there he'll have to stay until Andy brings him out. Then you can make your own plea. Until then I'm going----"

"If you're going to hold us prisoners, you'd better think twice about it," went on Jack. "My father has friends out West here, and I shall telegraph him of this outrage as soon as I get away."

"Now go easy," advised the red-haired man. "I'm not going to harm any of you, but I'm not going to let you get away until Andy has seen you. You'll have to stay here, but we'll make you as comfortable as possible. I guess you can stay in one of the cabins. There are some of them empty, as a number of the men have left."

"Then we're captives?" asked Jack.

"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it that," spoke Sandy with a grin. "Just consider yourselves our guests. We'll treat you well, and give you plenty of grub, such as it is."

"We have some of our own," Bony said.

"You haven't any right to detain us," declared Sam.

"We won't discuss that again," said Sandy. "Now be reasonable. S'pose I did let you go. You couldn't get back to your camp to-night, over the mountain, and without horses. You'd have to camp in the open. Isn't it better to stay in one of our cabins, where it's nice and warm? Besides, it looks like a storm."

Jack could not but admit that this reasoning was good. They had not counted on getting back, after their trip on the sled, but it was obvious that they could not coast back to camp, and if they had started to return, they would have had to pass the night in an open camp, no very pleasant prospect.

"Well," said Jack at length, "I guess we'll have to stay. But I don't like the idea of being considered prisoners."

"Well, don't think of it then," advised Sandy with another grin. "Now, you're free. I let you go. Where will you head for?"

He released Jack's arm, and motioned for his companions to do likewise for the other lads.

Jack looked about him. Clearly there was no place to escape to. Besides, it would never do to go off and leave Will in the hands of the enemy. There was nothing to do but to stay.

"Now, then," went on Sandy, "you can go to that cabin over there," and he pointed to a large one. "You'll find some bunks there, a good fireplace, and some grub. Or you can use your own provisions, just as you like. All I ask is that you give me your word of honor that you'll not leave without telling me first. It may be that Andy won't want you detained at all, but I'm taking no chances. Will you promise?"

"Will any harm come to Will?" asked Jack.

"You mean the lad who ran into the shed? I can't say. I know Andy will be very much put out at his going there, but I don't believe he'll harm him. Now, will you give me your parole, or will I have to lock you up?"

Jack hesitated a moment.

"I haven't any right to speak for my chums," he said.

"Then take a few minutes to talk with them. We'll leave you alone for five minutes, and you can give me your answer then."

Sandy and his men withdrew a short distance, leaving the boys in a group by themselves.

"Well?" questioned Jack. "What shall we do?"

"I don't see what we can do but give him our promise," replied Sam. "It will be better to be by ourselves, and comparatively free, than to be locked up somewhere. Besides, we haven't discovered the secret yet."

"That's so," agreed Nat. "I want to see what's in that shed."

"And we may be better able to help Will, by being somewhat free," added Bony. "I'm for giving our parole."

"All right," agreed Jack. "I think, myself, that will be the best plan. I wonder what in the world can be in that shed?"

"And I wonder what's happening to Will in there?" added Nat. "We must find out, if possible."

"We'll give our parole," called Jack to Sandy, and the red-haired man approached the group of boys alone, having motioned to his companions, on hearing this, that they could resume their occupations.

"That's good," answered the red-haired man, apparently much relieved. "Now you can go over there and make yourselves at home. You say you have some grub of your own. Fetch it, and get busy. Nobody will disturb you."

"And you'll speak to Andy about us, as soon as you can; won't you?" asked Nat.

"Sure thing. You're only in the way here, if you'll excuse my saying so, and the sooner you're off, the sooner we can go on with our work."

The boys went to where they had left the sled, got the packages of food, and, with their guns, which had first been taken from them, and then restored, as they gave their parole, they went to the cabin Sandy indicated.

The red-haired man seemed to pay no further attention to them, but entered another cabin, near the big shed, while none of the other men were now in sight. Jerry Chowden had also disappeared.

"They've left us to ourselves," remarked Jack.

"Yes," added Sam. "I wonder what their 'work' can be?"

"It's got something to do with that gigantic bird, I'm sure," said Nat. "Queer, though, it doesn't make some sound."

"Maybe it's dead," suggested Bony, absently cracking his finger knuckles.

"No, for we saw the wings moving when the doors were open," said Jack. "They were evidently just going to let it out, when they saw us."

"But what puzzles me," went on Nat, "is why Will ran off in that queer fashion."

"And why they're keeping him in that shed," added Bony. "Why don't they let him come here with us? We're all in the same boat, as far as coming here is concerned."

"Maybe they're going to make an example of him," suggested Nat.

"An example? What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"Well, you know they've got a terrible big bird, or some monster in there. Maybe they're going to feed Will to it--offer him up as a sort of human sacrifice, you know. Maybe these men worship that strange bird."

"Say, you've been reading too many dime novels," cried Jack. "Offer Will for a sacrifice! You're crazy to think of such a thing, Nat!"

"I don't care. Didn't the old Aztecs make human sacrifices?"

"Yes, but these men aren't Aztecs."

"How do you know?"

"How do I know? Of course they aren't! They're Americans, all right."

"But they've got some queer secret in that shed," declared Nat obstinately.

"True enough," admitted Jack, "and we're going to discover what it is, if possible. But now let's get something to eat. I'm hungry."

They found a good fireplace in the log cabin, and plenty of dry wood, and soon had a roaring blaze going. They prepared a simple meal, finding a sufficient supply of dishes in the place, and after eating heartily of the food they had brought along, they felt better. It was getting late in the afternoon, and they prepared to spend the night in the hut.

"I wonder if Budge and Long Gun will worry about our not coming back?" asked Sam.

"No," replied Jack, "for I told Budge I didn't see how we could return, in case we were successful in getting to the mysterious camp."

"Well, we got here all right," remarked Nat, with an uneasy laugh. "The question is, how to get away."

"And rescue Will," added Bony.

"Yes," continued Jack, "I don't like the way he acted. I'm afraid his brain was affected by the blow on the head, following the fright at coming down on the sled. He isn't very strong, and it wouldn't take much to upset him. Besides, he's been worrying about finding his uncle, and about the mean way his guardian has treated him. I certainly hope nothing has happened to him in that shed, but I can't understand why that man Andy should keep him there."

The boys passed rather an uneasy night, not only because of their strange surroundings, but on account of worrying over the fate of Will. Nor were they altogether easy regarding themselves.

"Well, we're still alive, at any rate," observed Jack, as he arose the next morning, and helped to get a simple breakfast. "Did any of you fellows hear anything in the night?"

"It seems to me that I heard people sneaking around the cabin," said Bony.

"Same here," added Sam.

"Guess they didn't altogether trust us," came from Nat. "They looked in on us every once in a while. I wonder how Will slept?"

"Guess we'll have to wait to have that answered," remarked Jack. "If I see Sandy I'll ask him----"

He stopped suddenly, and looked from a window.

"Here comes Will now," he added.

"And that man Andy is with him!" exclaimed Sam. "Maybe now we'll solve the mystery."