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 t