. There was a sound of a
thud, and Davis' figure dropped limply to the floor. His head had come
in contact with the solid wall.

At the same moment Blosberg fired and Lord Hastings felt a stinging
sensation in his left shoulder.

He staggered back.

Blosberg took advantage of this and darted out the door just as Frank
appeared at the top of the steps. Both raised their revolvers at the
same moment, but Blosberg was the first to fire.

Frank's gun seemed to explode in his hand. It leaped in the air like a
live thing and the lad felt a strange sensation in his hand. He wiggled
his fingers, but now he was unable to tell whether he had a right hand
or not. There was no feeling there. Blosberg's bullet had struck the
lad's revolver and the shock had numbed the lad's hand.

Before Frank could recover, Blosberg had darted down the hall and turned
into a narrow passageway at the end of it, disappearing just in time to
escape a bullet from Jack's revolver, the lad appearing on the second
floor at that moment.

He dashed after Blosberg.

Turning off the main hall into the narrow passage at the end, Jack
brought up sharply against an object in the semi-darkness; but he found
no Blosberg. Quickly he took a match from his pocket and struck it.
There was no sign of Blosberg, and Jack made out that the object that
had interrupted his progress was a ladder leading upward toward the
roof.

"He's up on the roof," cried Jack. "Come on."

Without taking thought of what danger might be in store for him above,
he mounted the ladder rapidly.

When Blosberg reached the roof he had replaced the trapdoor, but he
wasted no time, and began looking for a means of descent. He still held
a gun in his hand and whirled sharply as the trapdoor suddenly flew
open. He saw Jack at the same moment Jack saw him, and both fired.

But the aim of each was poor and Jack followed his shot by leaping to
the roof. Then he dropped down suddenly as Blosberg fired again, and,
still unharmed, drew himself quickly behind a chimney nearby. Blosberg
took refuge behind a second chimney.

Now Lord Hastings' head appeared and drew back suddenly as Blosberg took
a quick shot at him.

"All right, sir, come on!" called Jack. "I'll get him if he tries to pot
you again."

Lord Hastings sprang through the opening and a moment later Frank also
appeared on the roof. Blosberg made no effort to fire again, apparently
realizing the hopelessness of his case.

Frank