Then he gripped it with both of his powerful hands, and gave it a yank, as though he were ringing out the old year. It pulled the sailor who was paying the rope out bodily out of the balcony, and only the agility and strength of the captain kept him from falling into the hands or upon the head of the enemy below, but in the struggle he let go of the rope. Jim, with his treasure firmly in hand, now moved rapidly along the ridge of the roof to a chimney, paying no attention to the uproar on the balcony above, nor to the shots that, with a dimmed report, tore harmlessly through the gray garment of the fog. It did not take them long to tie the rope around the chimney and then Berwick slid down past several windows and with a drop of ten feet was on the ground once more. In a moment Jim was standing by him. His first act was to seek out and put on his shoes. "Over the fence now, Captain?" "No," replied Jim, "we won't give up the fight till we're beaten." "Better get, while we have the chance," protested the engineer earnestly. "Come quick; I have a scheme," announced Jim. "We won't run yet." "No faster than molasses in January," said the engineer irritably. "Take it easy, John," said Jim soothingly, with a pat on the shoulder; "we'll come out all right, my boy." It was as though Jim were the older of the two, but it was the quality of leadership in him that made him hearten his comrade. Berwick responded, his good nature instantly restored. "Go it, Cap. I'll see you through this if it takes my head and both feet." "Thank you, John," replied Jim, gripping the other's hand. "It won't be as bad as that, I hope." Then they started directly for the fence, to the complete surprise of the engineer, for Jim had declared against that route most emphatically; but Berwick made no protest, for, as James had said that he had a scheme, he knew it would soon develop. He noticed that his leader made no effort to disguise his footprints as they ran, and so it was not a shock to him, when they reached the fence, to see that Jim made no attempt to scale it. He stopped a moment to listen for any sign of pursuit. CHAPTER XXVI IN THE MOW "All quiet along the Potomac," remarked Jim, as no disturbance was heard from the direction of the house. "Not a sound was heard, not a funeral note," added the engineer, with his usual whimsical humor. "I bet that there will be a few funeral notes for that fellow who let go the rope," put in Jim. "Not to speak of what would happen to us if old Broome should get his hand on we 'uns," remarked the engineer casually. "He's just mad enough to chaw iron," grinned Jim. "Well, now, here's for a little acrobatics."