“See anybody?” questioned Dick.

“No,” came from his brothers.

“Neither did I. I see there is a big brick wall around this yard.  If they came in here they must have gone into this shed or into the factory itself.”

“That’s it, Dick,” said Tom.  He pushed open the door to the shed.  “I’m going to investigate.”

“So am I,” said both of the others.

In the shed all was dark and soon Sam stumbled over some blocks of wood and fell headlong.

“Confound the darkness,” he muttered.  “We ought to have brought a light.”

“I’ve got one,” answered Dick, and feeling in his pocket he produced one of the new-style electric pocket lights.  He pushed the button and instantly the light flashed out, as from a bull’s-eye lantern.

“Hurrah, that’s a good thing!” cried Tom.  “By the way, isn’t it queer there is no watchman here?”

“Maybe the night watchman hasn’t got around yet,” answered Dick, and struck the truth.

They began to move around the shed, much to the alarm of both Dan Baxter and Lew Flapp.

“I don’t see any trace—­” began Dick, when of a sudden the light landed fairly and squarely on Baxter’s face.  Then it shifted to the face of Lew Flapp.

“The old Harry take you, Dick Rover!” yelled Baxter, in a sudden rage, and throwing his whole weight against the pile of boards on which the eldest Rover was standing, he caused it to go over, hurling Dick flat on his back on the floor.

“Dick, are you hurt?” called out Tom.  The electric light had been broken, and all was pitch-dark.

“I—­I guess—­not,” answered Dick.  “But it was a close shave.”

“They are getting out!” came from Sam, as he heard a scuffling of feet.

“No—­they are going into the factory,” shouted Tom.  “Stop, Baxter!  Stop, Flapp!  If you don’t—­Oh!”

Tom’s cry came to a sudden end, for without warning a billet of wood struck him fairly on top of the head and he went down as if shot.

By this time Dick was on his feet.

“What’s up, Tom?”

“I—­I—­oh, my head?”

“Did somebody hit you?”

“Yes.”

Sam was running after Baxter and Flapp.  But they reached the factory first and banged the door full in the face of the youngest Rover.

“Open that door, Dan Baxter!” called out Sam.

“All right!” was the sudden reply, and open flew the door.  Then down on poor Sam’s head came a heavy billet of wood and he pitched backward unconscious.  Then the door was closed once more and locked from the inside.

CHAPTER XX

DAYS OF PLEASURE

“Sam!  Sam!  Speak to us!”

It was Dick who uttered the words, as he knelt beside his youngest brother and caught his hands.  Tom was just staggering up.

But Sam was past speaking, and made no reply.