prisoner in the case.

Harry was served the same way.

There was just room enough to hold them.

When La Croix nailed on the lid, they realized what he intended to do with
them and it made them feel very downhearted.

"Going to ship us away," thought Old King Brady.

La Croix then borrowed Reynard's brush and marking pot and they heard him
chuckle and say to his wife:

"I weel direct ze box to wong fictitious address in Sacramento, California.
By ze time ze secret police arrive zere, _par Dieu_, zey weel be zez dead
mans!"

He then addressed the case and went after a truckman.

This done, between them they lowered the case through the hatchway into the
street, and it was banged with a hook, turned over and over and pushed up a
pair of rungs on the truck.

The Bradys were badly bumped and bruised.

But being gagged they had to suffer in silence.

Finally the truck was driven away with them, and reaching the Erie freight
depot, the driver got a receipt for the box and dumped it off his truck.

The shock upon the imprisoned detectives was awful.

They heard the driver say:

"Collect de charges. Dat box goes via Buffalo, don't it?"

"Yes," replied the freight agent.

"Well, yer'd better handle it wid care, as I tink it's got artificial
flowers in it, an' yer might smash de stuffins out o' dem."

"Mighty heavy artificial flowers," growled the agent.

Then the truck drove away.

The detectives laid in the freight building for some time, and the interior
of the box became hot and stifling.

Fortunately the box stood as they were lying on their sides.

About noontime their troubles began again, for the freight handlers got
hold of the box to send it over the river to Jersey with other freight. The
detectives were tumbled and slammed about roughly, at one moment resting on
their heads, at another on their faces, then they were picked up by a
hand-truck and banged upon their backs on the boat. For a while they had a
rest.

No one heard the groans of pain they uttered as they were bumped, bruised
and cut, and they were carried over the river.

Here the rough handling began again until they were laden on a freight car
due to go out that night.

The box now rested so that they were standing up.

It was such a painful attitude in those cramped quarters that they were in
misery, for they were face to face, with their bodies bent over on account
of the box being too short for the length of their bodies.