e was a cut on his hand, too!" Sandy observed. "Looked like he
had bounced the saw off one of the rungs on top of a finger."

"Oh, he's a clever little boy all right!" Tommy cut in. "But he forgot
to leave his brass band at home when he went out to cut into that
ladder! If he does all his work the way he did that job, he'll be
sitting in some nice, quiet state's prison before he's six months
older."

When the boys came within a quarter of a mile of the station lights,
they parted, Will and George turning off from the right of way and Sandy
and Tommy keeping on for half a dozen rods. When the four boys were
finally clear of the tracks they were walking perhaps twenty rods apart,
and at right angles with the right of way.

"Now, as we approach the mine," Will cautioned his companion, "keep your
eye out for Ventner and this third boy. They are both likely to be
chasing around in the darkness."

The route to the mine taken by Tommy and his chum crossed a network of
tracks, led up to the weigh-house and so on into the breaker. As they
came to a line of empty cars standing on a spur they heard a movement in
one of the empties and crouched down to listen.

"There's some one in there!" declared Tommy.

"Some old bum, probably!"

This from Sandy who had recently bumped his shins on a pile of ties and
was not in a very pleasant humor.

"It may be the boy we're looking for!" urged Tommy.

Sandy sat down on the end of a tie and rubbed his bruised shin
vigorously, muttering and protesting against railroad yards in general
and this one in particular as he did so.

Tommy made his way under the empty and sat listening, his ear almost
against the bottom of the car. Presently he heard a movement above and
then it seemed to him that something of considerable weight was being
dragged across the floor. This was followed in a moment by a slight
groan, and then a shadowy figure leaped from the open side door and
started away in the darkness.

Now Sandy had been warned to hang onto the third boy like grim death if
he caught sight of him. He saw this figure bounce out of the car and
start away. Therefore, he promptly reached out a foot and tripped the
unknown to the ground.

He fell with a grunt of anger and pain and lay rolling on the cinders
which lined the roadbed for a moment without speaking. In the meantime,
Tommy had crawled out from under the car and stood ready to seize any
second person who might make his appearance.