Messenger No. 48 Part 17

The room had no other furniture than a cot bed on which were a pile of coa.r.s.e blankets, two stools and a sort of shelf that served as a table.

By this time the detectives had come in from the yard with the report that nothing could be found to show when the others left.

The stable was empty, and had evidently been so for several hours.

"One of you stand guard over this fellow, and we will search the house.

Come on, Jet, and show me where you were imprisoned," Harvey said as he took up the candle and left the room.

The boy obeyed and a thorough search was made of the premises.

To the surprise of all nothing of importance was found.

If the men had had machinery for making counterfeit money, everything had been taken away.

The building contained nothing more than might have been found in any honest dwelling, and Harvey said in a tone of disappointment:

"They must have worked like beavers from the time it was learned the boy had made his escape, and that fellow in the other room was pretty near right when he made his threats, for we have broken into a building without legal right to do anything of the kind."

"If they had presses here we should be able to find them in the morning, for the whole plant must be buried near by; it couldn't have been carried away in this short time," the men from Albany suggested.

This seemed reasonable, and Harvey decided to make a thorough search before returning.

The prisoner was secured to the heavy table in the back room on the lower floor, and until daylight the party discussed the matter in all its bearings.

Then Harvey said as he went toward the door:

"Now, let's get to work, and finish this job by night-fall if possible."

At that instant he stepped outside, and at the same moment the reports of two weapons were heard from the direction of the woods, the bullets striking within an inch of the detective's head.

He leaped back under cover, saying bitterly as he did so:

"The villains are sharper than I gave them credit for, and have got us like rats in a trap. We were allowed to come in, and now they propose to shoot us down at their leisure, for the gang can't afford to let us leave here alive!"

CHAPTER XI

CLOSE QUARTERS

If either of the party had looked at the prisoner when the shots were heard it would have been possible to understand that he was expecting something of the kind.

His face lighted up with an expression of joy, and one could readily fancy he believed the time near at hand when the tables would be turned with a vengeance.

Harvey was more chagrined than frightened.

The fact that he had not suspected something of the kind when it was learned the house had been virtually abandoned, cut deep into his professional pride, and he blamed himself more severely than any other member of the party could have done.

"A child would have had more sense than to fancy they had given us the slip and taken all their stuff with them," he said, angrily. "I have simply done what they allowed a fool would do, and now we must pay the piper."

"But they'll make a mighty poor fist of trying to take us out of here,"

one of the detectives said, consolingly.

"That goes without saying; but how about our leaving when we get ready?

They have us where we can't show our noses outside, and in this desolate spot we needn't expect any help for it would take a month of steady work for a person to find us, and I don't reckon the house is provisioned to stand such a siege."

"I haven't seen anything in the way of food, and I've been into every room."

"Most likely you'll find that the stock of water is quite as low.

We're penned up here without a chance of helping ourselves unless we're willing to stand a regular battle."

"Well, I don't see why we shouldn't be able to do, that. According to the boy's story there are only three, without counting this man, therefore the forces are equal in numbers."

"That is true; but they have the advantage of position by being hidden in the woods, and we can't show our noses out of doors without the certainty of acting as targets while they are under cover."

It was not necessary to discuss the matter at any very great length in order to understand that they had voluntarily entered a trap, and the entire party gazed at each other in silence while the prisoner appeared to enjoy the situation hugely.

"I can't see why they want to pen us up here?" Jet said in a low tone to Harvey when the two were in one of the rear rooms gazing from the window, and the remainder of the party were with the prisoner.

"It is plain enough," was the petulant reply. "When they found that you had escaped it was quite natural to suppose you would lead officers here. Those fellows wanted to get their precious bodies out of the way; but yet were not willing to leave all their belongings behind.

The work was done systematically. Everything was first carried a short distance into the woods, and a man left here on guard so we should be certain to come into the trap."

"Well?"

"Well, while we are here those fellows are carting off their stuff, and when that has been safely done we shall be allowed to go free, or they may possibly try to rescue the prisoner, although that would be needless, since we have no evidence against him."

"Wouldn't things be all right if you could know where the things were hidden?"

"Of course; why do you ask?"

"Because it seems to me that I might slip out of here after dark and watch them."

"There would be too much danger in such a job. They had rather get hold of you than succeed in carrying the stuff away, for you are an important witness against them, and once in their hands your lease of life would be cut mighty short."

"I'll run the risk of their getting hold of me."

"But I won't, so there is no need of discussing the matter. I am going to post the men at the windows in the hope we shall get a shot at one of the crowd, and while that is being done you must make another search of the house to find out what we have got in the way of water and provisions."

Jet obeyed at once, and the detective placed his a.s.sistants at different points where a view of the woods could be had, impressing upon them the importance of trying to shoot down one or more of the besiegers.

A search of the building failed to reveal anything which would aid in "holding the fort."

Not so much as a cracker could be found, and the supply of water was hardly more than a quart, which had been left in a pail on the kitchen table.

Harvey had nothing to say when Jet made his report. He had joined his a.s.sistants in trying to get a shot at the men, and seemed to think of nothing else.

Left to himself, Jet wandered around the building trying to devise some means of helping his companions, and before noon he fancied he had a plan which promised success.