surprise there was no low growl and then whine of recognition from
Piter.

"That's strange," said Uncle Jack suspiciously, and he walked on quickly
to the door of the building and listened.

There was no dog there, and his chain and collar did not hang over the
kennel as if they had been taken from the dog's neck. They were gone.

This seemed very strange, and what was more strange still, though we
went from grinding-shop to smithy after smithy, furnace house and shed,
there was no sign of the dog, and everything seemed to point to the fact
that he had been led away by his chain, and was a prisoner somewhere.

"Looks like mischief," whispered Uncle Bob. "Where's that scoundrel
lying asleep?"

We went upstairs to see, and expected to find our careful watchman
carefully curled up somewhere, but there was no snoring this time, and
Uncle Bob's threat of a bucket of water to wake him did not assume
substance and action.

For though we searched everywhere it soon became evident that Searby was
not present, and that we had come to find the works deserted.

"Then there is going to be some attack made," said Uncle Dick. "I'm
glad we came."

"Shall you warn the police?" I whispered.

"No," said Uncle Jack sharply. "If we warn the police the scoundrels
will get to know, and no attack will be made."

"So much the better," I said. "Isn't it?"

"No, my lad. If they did not come to-night they would be here some
other time when we had not been warned. We are prepared now, so let
them come and we may give them such a lesson as shall induce them to
leave us in peace for the future."

"Do you mean to fight, then?" I asked.

"Most decidedly, boy. For our rights, for our place where we win our
livelihood. We should be cowards if we did not. You must play the
dog's part for us with your sharp eyes and ears. Recollect we have
right on our side and they have wrong."

"Let's put the fort in a state of defence," said Uncle Dick merrily.
"Perhaps it will turn out to be all nonsense, but we must be prepared.
What do you say--divide in two watches as we proposed, and take turn and
turn?"

"No: we'll all watch together to-night in case anything serious should
be meant."

It did seem so vexatious that a small party of men should be able to
keep up this system of warfare in the great manufacturing town. Here
had my uncles brought a certain amount of prosperity to the place by
establishing these works; the men had fou