As he spoke there came hurrying from houses adjoining that where the boy lived who gave the alarm, a number of men and youths. All of them had clubs or some sort of weapon.
"They seem to be after us!" cried Fenn.
"So they are!" admitted Bart. "I"ll bet Captain Needham lied about us and put them on our track. He probably sent some message last night."
"We"d better run," counseled Frank, and at that the boys took to their heels.
The pursuit was on in earnest. The crowd behind kept increasing as men and youths from houses further back on the road joined it.
"Catch "em! Stop "em! Head "em off!" were the cries that reached the boys. But they kept on at their best speed. They had the advantage of a good start, and were not hampered with heavy clothing and shoes. The road was deep in dust and was not hard on their unprotected feet.
"They"ll never catch us!" exclaimed Bart. "But what in the world do they want with us?"
"Don"t talk! Run!" came from Fenn.
It began to look as though the boys would get away. The road stretched invitingly before them, and, though the number of their pursuers was increasing they had not cut down the lads" lead much. But fortune does not always favor the brave. As the chums went around a curve they saw in front of them a load of hay, overturned on the highway. It blocked the whole width of the road, save for a strip of sward on either side.
"Go around it!" cried Ned.
But when they came up they found the pa.s.sage on both sides was so thick with big Canadian thistles, as to daunt even the bravest barefooted person, particularly if he had not been used to going without his shoes.
They gingerly tried the pa.s.sage on either side but had to turn back.
The pursuers gave a shout and came on faster than before.
"Over the hay!" sung out Ned.
He made a running jump to scramble up the small hill of dried gra.s.s. The others followed. From the other side there suddenly appeared the farmer who owned it. He had been trying to fix his wagon. He saw the boys attempting to climb over the load, and noted the crowd in pursuit.
"No, you don"t!" he yelled, making a grab for Fenn and Bart, who were in the rear. He seized them by their loose clothing. As the two boys felt themselves being pulled back they instinctively grabbed at Ned and Frank. All four fell in a heap on the highway at the bottom of the hay pile. An instant later the crowd was upon them and the boys were grabbed by half a dozen hands.
"We"ve got "em!" exclaimed one gray-bearded man, with a big tin star on his coat. "We"ll git th" reward. Great luck!"
"What right have you got to chase us?" demanded Bart.
"Best right in the world," replied the constable.
"What have we done?" asked Frank.
"Broke jail, that"s what ye done."
"Broke jail! We never were in jail!"
"What? Ain"t ye th" two men who escaped from Blissville jail last night?"
demanded the constable.
"No!" fairly shouted Bart. "Can"t you count? There are four of us and mere boys, not men. The only place we broke from was the hold of the barge where they were keeping us prisoners, after we fell from the balloon!"
"Balloon!" exclaimed another man, coming forward from the crowd. "Are you th" boys from Darewell th" alarm has been sent out for? Went up in a balloon that broke away?"
"That"s who we are," replied Fenn.
"By Heck! men, we"ve got th" wrong ones!" cried the man who had last spoken. "These are the balloon boys! It was two men, not four boys, who broke jail! We"ve made a mistake!"
"What made ye run, if ye wasn"t guilty?" demanded the constable, rather incensed over his disappointment.
"Guess you"d run, Amos," put in the other man, "if ye saw this crowd after ye."
CHAPTER XXIX
AN UNEXPECTED MEETING
It took considerable explanation to set things straight but it was finally accomplished. The boys told as much of their story as they thought proper, from the time they went up in the balloon until they saw the crowd after them.
In turn they were informed that during the night two prisoners had escaped from the jail at Blissville, the next town to Pentkirk, which was the village they were then in.
"Lucky you mentioned balloon," spoke Mr. Weldon, the farmer who had come to the chum"s aid.
"Did you hear of it?" asked Ned.
"Well, I guess! Circulars describin" ye have been sent to every postoffice around here."
"Then Captain Needham hasn"t telephoned word to our folks!" cried Bart.
"We must do it at once. Is there a wire in town?" he asked.
"Yep, an" ye can use it all ye want to," said Mr. Weldon. "There"s a hundred dollars reward for news of each of ye, an" maybe ye wouldn"t mind lettin" some of th" boys earn it by telephonin" t" th" Darewell police?"
"Of course not," replied Bart, "so long as our folks are told, at once, that"s all we care."
"We"d like some breakfast and--and--some decent clothes too," put in Fenn.
"We"ll see to that," replied Mr. Weldon. "Come along with me."
He took the boys to his house, first sending a messenger to telephone to Darewell that the boys were safe and would shortly be home. The chums were soon eating a hearty meal, and then were fitted out in garments, which, if they did not fit them well, being collected from several houses that contained lads about of their age, were a welcome relief from the overalls and jumpers.
"I never knew how much depended on shoes before," said Fenn, as he gazed at those loaned him.
"I can feel those thistles yet," observed Frank.
"Now I s"pose you boys"ll want t" git home," observed Mr. Weldon when breakfast was finished. "I"ll be glad t" advance ye th" money for your tickets."
"We"ll be much obliged if you will," spoke Bart. "If you want references you can telephone to any one in Darewell."
"Them circulars is reference enough," was the answer, as he waved one containing a description of the boys. Their relatives had sent them broadcast after the balloon had broken loose and no word had been received from the chums by the following morning.
It was not long before the four were on a train, speeding home. They were so full of talk over their recent experiences that it was hard to say where one began and the other left off.