"Yes--no, for goodness' sake, not the police," exclaimed Donald. "Dad, Jarrow, here's that Ready kid spying on us. He was caught in the hall by that Italian next door, who thought he was a sneak thief."

"Ha! Ready, you are the most unlucky lad I know," cried Judson, coming to the door, "we've got you just where we want you this time. There are no chimneys here. Bring him inside."

"Not much! Help!" Jack began to shout, but Jarrow clapped a hand over his mouth.

"Help us run him in here," he ordered the Italian, "I'll pay you for it."

"Whatsa da mat'?" asked the Italian suspiciously. "He no lika you."

"No wonder. He robbed us once. I guess he was here to do it again. We want to settle accounts with him."

"Oh-ho, datsa eet ees it?" said the Italian. "All righta, I no make da troub'."

He gave Jack a forward shove into the room of the wireless boy's enemies.

CHAPTER x.x.xIII.

IN THE POWER OF THE ENEMY.

As soon as the door was shut and locked, Judson faced Jack.

"Now you keep quiet if you don't want a rap over the head with this," he said, exhibiting a heavy bludgeon.

"Don't dare touch me," spoke Jack boldly.

"That will depend. I want to ask you some questions. Will you answer them?"

"I shall see."

"You followed Donald and me here and were spying on us when that Italian caught you."

"A good thing he did," interjected Donald.

"You heard us planning--er--er something?"

"Possibly I did."

"Boy, I know you did."

"Then what's the sense of asking me?"

"None of your impudence, young man! You've always been too much of a busy-body for your own good," snarled Jarrow.

"What's the use of questioning him, dad?" said Donald. "He'll only lie."

"That's probably correct. I guess he heard everything. What shall we do with him?"

"Make him a prisoner," said Jarrow.

"But we can't stay here to guard him and he'd be out of this room in a jiffy."

"I'll tell you where we'll take him," said Donald. He whispered in his father's ear. Judson's face brightened and he nodded approvingly.

"Just the place. It will serve him right. He got himself into this mess."

"Are you going to let me go?" demanded Jack.

"Certainly not. You've made your bed--you can lie on it."

Jack made a leap for the door. The key was in the lock, but he didn't have a chance to turn it before all three threw themselves on him. A scuffle followed which Judson brought to a quick stop by striking Jack a stunning blow on the head with his bludgeon. With a million stars dancing before him in a void of blackness, Jack went down.

"Now come on quick before anyone spots us," said Jarrow.

Jack's limp form was rolled up in a dirty old blanket so as to look like some kind of a bundle. Then Jarrow and Judson lifted him by the head and feet, while Donald preceded them with the lamp.

The younger Judson led the way out of a rear door to a side hallway.

From here two flights of stairs led down to an ill-ventilated, low cellar which was seldom visited and was used mostly for old rubbish and rags. Jack was carried to a high-sided wooden coal bin and his form dropped on a pile of dirty old newspapers and decaying straw. There was a heavy door with an iron bolt on the outside leading into the place. As Judson closed this, leaving Jack to his fate, he muttered:

"This is the time we don't need to bother about his getting out. He'll stay there till to-morrow, anyhow, and by that time we'll be at sea."

"What time will that auto be at the corner?" asked Donald.

"It should be there in a few minutes. We must get ready right away,"

replied his father. "Come on, we've no time to lose."

In the meantime Billy and Ned waited on the corner. As the minutes flew by they began to get worried.

"Jack is certainly taking his time," said Ned.

"Perhaps he is scouting about," suggested Billy.

"Perhaps he has fallen into a trap," exclaimed Ned. "I've a good mind to go for the police."

"Well, we'll wait a little longer," said Billy.

Almost an hour pa.s.sed and there was no sign of Jack.

"I won't wait any longer," declared Ned, when suddenly three figures emerged from the house. Their hats were pulled over their eyes and they glanced about suspiciously.

"It's the two Judsons and Jarrow," exclaimed Billy.

As he spoke a big touring car came down the street and stopped at the mouth of the alley-way. The three persons who had just emerged from the tenement house began to hasten to it, but Billy intercepted them.

"What have you done with Jack?" he demanded.