I was coming up!" came from Tom. "What of Sam and Hans?"
"I don't know. They are after me! Have you your pistol?"
"Yes, and I'll use it too, if they bother me," answered Tom, determinedly.
"Stop where you are!" cried Dick, looking up the iron ladder. "My brother and I have pistols and we shall use them if you attempt to follow down here!"
"Look out!" yelled Dan Baxter, in alarm, and tumbled back to a safe place. "They'll shoot sure, I know 'em!"
At these words all at the top of the iron ladder hesitated. In the meantime both Tom and Dick held their pistols up, so that the shining barrels could be dimly seen.
"They are armed, hang the luck!" muttered Sack Todd. "And they tell me they can shoot, too!"
"Look here, we don't want any shooting," said Gasper Pold. "We want this affair conducted peaceable-like."
"I know what you want," said Tom, boldly. "You want to make us prisoners."
"Like as not Sam and Hans are already prisoners," said Dick. "If they were not we'd surely hear something from them."
"They are prisoners," answered Dan Baxter.
