"It's the man-hunters!" he gasped. "I didn't expect 'em so soon. Take us up into the attic or anywhere we can hide without being seen, Marjorie. "The rest of you stay here. Mrs. Prior, go to the door and ask what the trouble is. Tell 'em your husband bought the horses from the miners at the station just an hour or so ago. Delay 'em as long as you can, though you'll be obliged to let 'em search the house before they'll go." Scarce a second did it take to deliver these instructions and even before he had concluded them the bandit-chieftain was following the girl, whom he had entrusted with the task of hiding them, from the room, Cole and Clell at his heels. Gliding through the parlour and out into the hall, avoiding that side of the house visible from the yard or sidewalk, they mounted the stairs, three at a time. "What is there to hide us up in the attic?" demanded Jesse of his guide. "Ma's clothes press, piles of quilts and old feather beds." "Nothing else?" "No. Won't they do?" asked Marjorie, crestfallen. "Not for a minute. The detectives will go for them the first thing." "Oh dear! I don't know where else to take you except in some of our closets," groaned the girl. "Which they'll likewise examine carefully. Can't we crawl up one of the fireplaces? Are the flues big enough? That's the kind of place we want to find." Apprised of the sort of refuge the outlaws desired, Marjorie thought rapidly. "There's only one fireplace where the flue's big enough and that's in the sitting room. But you couldn't get up it without being seen from the yard. And for the same reason you couldn't get into the oven. Oh--what can you--wait. I have it. You can get down into the little brick room where mother smokes the hams! Quick! It's 'round by the back stairs." Familiar with the chambers, about four feet by six, built in the chimneys where the countryfolk used to cure their delicious hams, the bandit-chieftain rejoined: "That'll be just the place. Get us to it as soon as you can. Any hams in it now?" "Drat it, yes! I'd forgotten. Mother put some in yesterday." And the girl stopped, looking at the outlaws in dismay. "Never mind. They'll help to hide us," assured Jesse. "But the smoke and the odour, it's fearful," protested Marjorie. Quickly the great desperado allayed her misgivings by telling her that they could stand them and without further parley, she guided them to the eighteen-inch door in the side of the stairway that opened into the smoking-chamber. As she drew it back, the pungent fumes of the curing hams rushed out, mingled with smoke. "Jicky, but it _is_ strong," gasped Clell. "We've got to stand it, so crawl inside, lively," snapped his leader. "The longer you stand here with that door open, the more the odour'll get into the house, and the greater chance there'll be of the man-hunters getting wise."