With the aid of his chums, he raised it against the window. Just then part of the house fell in, and the crowd surged back, thinking to get out of danger, so the boys were left comparatively to themselves in making this rescue. “Hold the ladder at the foot, Bob,” directed Jerry; “it isn’t any too firm. Ned and I’ll go up and see if we can get him down.” The old man, half choked from smoke, was leaning from the window now, shouting as well as he could with his feeble breath. “Don’t jump!” yelled Ned. “We’re coming after you!” Quickly he started up the ladder, followed by Jerry. The old man held out his arms to them imploringly. Bob braced himself against the foot of the ladder to prevent it from slipping, and for once in his life he was glad that he was fat and heavy. He made a good anchor. “Keep still! We’re coming! We’re coming!” yelled Jerry. The aged man was excited and fearful, and small wonder. The smoke, pouring from the window around him, was thicker now, and the flames back of him were brighter. Up and up went Ned and Jerry. When they came closer they could hear the old man shouting: “My money! My money! I must get my money and the jewelry!” They were at the window now, the ladder just reaching to it, with not a foot to spare. “Never mind about your money and jewelry!” shouted Jerry. “You’ll be lucky to get off with your life. Come on, we’ll help you down!” “No, I must get my money! I can not afford to lose it! I must go back and get it, and get the jewelry! They took some but I saved the rest.” He turned as though to hobble back into the smoke filled and fire encircled room. “You’ll be burned to death if you go!” shouted Jerry. “Oh, but I must get my money!” whined the aged man. “Crooked Nose came for it, but I hid some of it away from him. I must get it. I don’t want Crooked Nose to get it! Oh, wait until I get my money!” and he disappeared from the casement. CHAPTER V THE ODD MAN “We’ve got to get him!” cried Jerry to Ned. “Sure thing! He’ll be burned to death in there in less than a minute! What’s he mean about Crooked Nose?” “Hanged if I know! But don’t stop to ask questions. Go on up. I’ll be right after you. We’ve got to get him. Stand firm, Bob!” Jerry yelled to his chum at the foot of the ladder. “Right!” answered the stout one, making his voice heard above the various noises of the fire. Up the ladder went Ned and Jerry, pausing a moment as they got to the point where they could look into the room. The smoke had blown away for the time being. “There he is!” cried Ned, pointing to a figure huddled on the floor. The two boys leaped into the room, taking big gulps of fresh air to hold in their lungs as long as possible, for they saw that the wind was blowing the smoke into the room again. They caught hold of the old man. He appeared to be a Frenchman, though he spoke good English. The boys lifted him up, and this seemed to restore his scattered senses.