At last the chimney board yielded to the efforts to remove it and with a cry of triumph, Jones and Higgins crawled into the fireplace, peering up the flue. Yet there was nothing to be seen. Chagrined, the detectives rose to their feet. "Let's start a smudge," proposed Dillaby. "Maybe they're higher up the chimney and if they are, we can smoke 'em out." As they heard the plan, the farmer and his son exchanged glances. The building of a fire would send the smoke into the ham room in such quantities that it would force the outlaws to leave it, yet they dared not protest and stared blankly at one another. "I guess we've hit on the right place," chuckled Higgins as he noticed the woe-begone expressions on the faces of the two men. "Hurry and get kindling, some of you. Tell the boys outside to watch the top of the chimney and to send me word when they see a head appear. "Jesse's bottled himself up good and tight this time!" With their usual haste, the detectives were counting their eggs before they were hatched! And with delightful forgetfulness of the many times gone by when they thought they had captured the desperado only to find that they hadn't, Dillaby and Jones rushed to get the stuff to start the smudge. "Found 'em?" grunted Mrs. Prior, as the detectives burst into the kitchen in which all the intimate friends of the family were excitedly discussing the sensational turn in events. "We think--we hope so," rejoined Dillaby. Surprised at the confidence in the man's tone, the housewife shot a keen glance from under her eyebrows and there was a suspicious eagerness in her voice as she asked: "Where are they?" "You'll see fast enough when we smoke 'em out," snapped the sleuth and without stopping to explain, he went into the shed, quickly returning with a basket of chips and bark. Watching the detectives as they passed into the parlour, Mrs. Prior slammed the door after them and placed her plump body against it, at the same time beckoning to Marjorie and Susie. "Go upstairs just as quick as you can. Get some towels and a pitcher of water and hand it to Jess. "He and the boys'll suffocate in the ham-chamber if you don't. "I'll stand guard down here. You'd best take off your shoes so the men in the parlour won't hear you walking about." Deftly removing their footwear, the two girls stole up the back stairs that led from the kitchen and hurried to get the relief to the suffering bandits. The pitcher of water and the towels were secured without delay, but it was a different matter to give them to the outlaws without discovery. Taking their places on the stairs, Marjorie cautiously removed the little door. Startled by the unexpected move, Jesse and his men trained their revolvers on the opening, wondering in their hearts how their retreat had been located. The position of the girls was dangerous in the extreme. Yet not till they caught sight of a pistol barrel did they realize it.