The orchestra caught the cue, and kept time with appropriate music.  A second hush held the audience.  Without a break, Andy descended the forty odd feet of cable.

Nearing its end, he caught at the rope to steady himself.  Then he gracefully leaped free of it to the sawdust, and made a profound bow to the audience amid wild thunders of applause.

CHAPTER XII

AN ARM OF THE LAW

The circus manager followed Andy, as the latter darted past the band stand and into the passageway leading to the performers’ tent.

His face was a blank of wonderment.  The ringmaster joined him, and so did one or two others as he hurried after Andy.

They found the latter holding to a guy rope, Andy’s head was spinning.  The reaction from intense excitement made him weak and breathless for some moments.

The audience was still in a pleasant flutter of commotion over the unique act that had caught their fancy.

The Benares Brothers went on with their performance, They cut out “the dive for life,” but they made up for it by some dazzling aerial evolutions that thrilled the spectators, and everybody seemed satisfied.

Five minutes later they joined the group crowding around Andy.  The manager had just finished questioning the lad as to details of the remarkable story he had told.

His face was stern and angry as he uttered some quick words to the ringmaster.  Then the latter, taking a weighted coiled-up toe rope in his hand, went out into the ring.

From where he was Andy could see this flung aloft.  It caught across the bar of the “doped” trapeze.

At a touch this latter came hurtling to the ground.  Old Benares, watching also, trembled with intense anger.

“It is infamoos!” he declared.  “Where should my partner be, but for this boy?”

The ringmaster examined the loosened trapeze bar.  Just as Andy had stated, two slight threads alone had held it to the supporting ropes.

Thacher laid a friendly, grateful hand on Andy’s shoulder.  He was too full of emotion to speak.  Andy looked up and smiled brightly.

“Good thing I was around, wasn’t it?” he said carelessly.  “Oh, there’s Mr. Marco.”

The Man with the Iron Jaw came up to the group at this juncture.

“You, Andy Wildwood!” he said.  “I heard of the trapeze.  So it is you again?  Come with me.  No, don’t keep him,” continued Marco to Thacher in a hurried way that made Andy curious.  “You can see him again.  Come, lad.”

“What’s the trouble, Mr. Marco?” asked Andy.

Marco did not answer.  He kept hold of Andy’s arm and led him to the rear.  About to enter the performers’ tent he dodged back.

“Keep close to me,” he directed in a tone of suppressed excitement.  “Quick, Wildwood—­out this way.  Hurry, now.”

He had darted towards the bottom of the canvas strip siding the passageway.  Lifting this up, he thrust Andy under it.  Crawling after him and arising to his feet, he again grasped Andy’s arm.