"Not much!" cried Pete. "I've had enough."
This seemed to be the sentiment of all. Away they stumbled
through the woods, and, emerging on the road, scattered to their
several homes, not one but who suffered from slight burns,
contusions, torn and muddy clothes or injured feelings as the
outcome of the "joke" on the young inventor.
But our hero was not yet free from the bonds of his enemies.
When they scattered and ran, after the vivid blue light, and the
dull explosion, which, being unconfined, did no real damage, Tom
was still fast to the tree. As his eyes became accustomed to the
semi-darkness that followed the glare, he remarked:
"Well, I don't know that I'm much better off. I gave those
fellows a good scare, but I'm not loose. But I can work to better
advantage now."
Once more he resumed the effort to free himself, but in spite
of the crude manner in which the knots had been made, the lad
could not get loose. The more he pulled and tugged the tighter
they seemed to become.
"This is getting serious," Tom mused. "If I could only reach my
knife I could cut them, but it's in my pocket on the other side,
and that bond's fast.
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