But Bob knew that there could be but one end to a struggle of this kind, as the man was hugging him closer and closer in his arms. His hold must be broken and that quickly. Watching his chance, Bob suddenly exerting all his strength brought his knee up against the man’s abdomen. With a grunt of pain and surprise, he loosened his hold for an instant, and Bob was quick to take advantage of the opportunity. Like an eel he slipped from his grasp, and before his opponent could recover his hold, he drove his right fist to his jaw. Smack! It was a beautiful blow, landing exactly on the right spot. Its force was enhanced by the fact that the man was springing forward at the time. Down he went without a sound and lay still on the floor. Meanwhile, at the instant Bob had made the dive for his man, Rex had sprung for the other. The hunchback, though not large, was wiry, and it seemed to Rex, as they rolled over and over on the floor, possessed of the strength of ten wild cats. Jack, confident that Bob could take care of himself, but not so sure of Rex, was dancing about trying to get a hold on the hunchback. But so rapidly did the two thrash about that, for what seemed a long time, he was unable to help his friend. But as it proved, his help was not needed, for Rex finally succeeded in getting a firm grasp of the other’s throat and soon had him under control. Seeing that Rex was all right, Jack turned to see how Bob was making out, just in time to see the blow which knocked him out. “Gee, but that was a peach,” he declared, as he stepped quickly to Bob’s side. “Did he hurt you any?” “Nary a bit,” Bob replied, as he glanced at the man on the floor. It was but a moment’s work to release the man and his wife, and they were profuse in their thanks. But without waiting to listen to them, the boys took the ropes with which they had been tied, and soon had the two men tied good and fast. The hunchback made no resistance as his hands and feet were securely bound, and the other man did not begin to show signs of life until after the job was completed. “Well, Nip, it seems that our paths are bound to cross,” Bob said, as he stood in front of the hunchback. “I guess we’ve got you and Jake with the goods this time, and you’ll eat at the expense of the State for some time.” Those of my readers who have read the previous volumes of this series, need no introduction to Nip and his friend, Jake. For the benefit of those who have not, it will be sufficient to say that the pair were as fine a couple of rogues as you would want to meet. As Bob had said, their paths had crossed before, and the boys had gotten the better of them but they had escaped. Nip made no reply to Bob’s remark. He was a sullen brute and realized that the boys once more had the upper hand. “It’s a pretty low business, Nip, when you come to torturing a helpless old man and his wife, but I’m not surprised.”