"I shouldn't wonder," thought Herbert, interested, "if she's got a nest, and some young ones up there. I have a great mind to climb up and see whether she has or not."

He measured the tree with his eye. It was very tall, exceeding in its height most of its forest neighbors.

"I don't know as I can climb it," he said to himself, a little doubtfully; "but anyway, I am going to try. There's nothing like trying."

This was a lucky determination for Herbert, as will speedily appear.

It was twenty feet to the first branching off, and this was, of course, the most difficult part of the ascent, since it was necessary to "shin up," and the body of the tree was rather too large to clasp comfortably.

However, it was not the first time that Herbert had climbed a tree, and he was not deficient in courage as well as skill. So he pushed on his way, and though once or twice in danger of falling, he at length succeeded in reaching the first bough. From this point the ascent was comparatively easy.

In a short time our hero was elated to find himself probably fifty feet from the ground, so high it made him feel a little dizzy to look down.

He reached the nest, and found the young birds--three in number. The parent bird hovered near by, evidently quite alarmed for the safety of her brood. But Herbert had no intention of harming them. He only climbed up to gratify his curiosity, and because he had nothing more important to do. Though he did not know it, his own danger was greater than that which threatened the birds. For, just at that moment, Mr. Holden, in his wanderings, had reached Ralph's cabin, and Herbert, looking down, beheld, with some anxiety, the figure of the unwelcome visitor. He saw Abner enter the cabin, and, after a few moments' interval, issue from it with an air of disappointment and dissatisfaction.

"How lucky," thought our hero, "that he did not find me inside!"

Abner Holden looked about him in every direction but the right one. He little dreamed that the object of his pursuit was looking down upon him, securely, from above.

"I don't think he'll find me," thought Herbert. "Wouldn't he give something, though, to know where I am?"

But our young hero was doomed to disappointment. Just at that moment-- the unluckiest that could have been selected--he was seized with a strong inclination to sneeze.

Alarmed lest the sound should betray him, he made desperate efforts to suppress it but Nature would have its way, and probably did so with greater violence than if no resistance had been made.

"Ker-chew!" sneezed Herbert, violently.

As he antic.i.p.ated, Abner's attention was attracted by the loud noise, which he rightly concluded could hardly proceed from a bird or squirrel.

He had just been on the point of leaving the cabin for some other part of the woods, but at this sound he stood still. Looking up to discover whence it proceeded, his keen eyes detected Herbert in his lofty perch.

His eyes sparkled with joy.

"Ha, you young rascal!" he exclaimed. "So you are there, are you? You were going to run away, were you?"

Now that Herbert was actually discovered, his fear left him, and he became perfectly self-possessed and confident.

"Yes, Mr. Holden," he answered, quietly; "such is my intention."

"Boldly spoken," said Abner, provoked by our hero's coolness, for he had hoped to find him terrified and pleading for forgiveness. "I admire your frankness, and will try to equal it. I suppose you'll give it up as a bad job now."

"No, sir," said Herbert, firmly.

"Take care, sir," said Abner, in anger and astonishment. "Take care how you defy me. Come down here at once."

"What for?" inquired Herbert, without stirring.

"What for?" repeated Abner Holden. "That I may flog you within an inch of your life."

"That's no inducement," said our hero, coolly.

"Do you refuse to obey me?" shouted Abner, stamping angrily.

"I refuse to be flogged. You don't get me down for any such purpose, Mr.

Holden."

"Then, by Heaven, if you won't come otherwise, I'll come up and help you down."

The angry man at once commenced the ascent. Anger gave him strength, and, though he was unaccustomed to climbing, he continued to mount up about halfway to the first branching off, somewhat to Herbert's uneasiness, for he felt there was a chance that he might fall into Abner's clutches.

But Abner's success was only temporary. At the height of a dozen feet he began to slip, and, despite his frantic struggles, he slid gradually to the ground, tearing his coat, which he had not taken the precaution to remove, and blistering his hands.

What was to be done?

In his anger and excitement, he drew a pistol from his breast pocket, and pointed upward, saying menacingly, "Come down at once, you young rascal, or I will fire!"

Herbert was startled. He did not believe the pistol to be loaded. Still it might be.

"Will you come down?" repeated Abner, fiercely. "Quick, or I fire."

Herbert's cheek was pale, but in a resolute voice he answered, "I will not."

Abner Holder, laid his finger upon the trigger, and would, in his anger, have carried his threat into execution; but at the critical moment he was conscious of a violent blow, and the pistol was wrenched from his hand.

Turning quickly, he met the stern glance of Ralph the Ranger.

CHAPTER XIV

TAKEN PRISONER

"What does all this mean?" demanded Ralph, in a tone of command.

"What right have you to interfere?" said Abner Holden, sulkily.

"The right that any man has to prevent murder," said Ralph, briefly.

"I wasn't going to murder him."

"What were you going to do?" asked Ralph, looking keenly at Abner. "Why were you pointing the pistol at him?"

"I wanted to frighten him."

"You meant to have him think you were going to fire. I believe you were."

"Why didn't he come down when I bade him?"

"I'll answer that question," said Herbert, from the top of the tree.

"Mr. Holden promised to beat me if I would come down, but I didn't think that a sufficient inducement."