Isaac, the keeper, became quite voluble after a few drinks of whisky.
He talked freely and the detectives used every effort to pump him.
They learned that there was a strange female patient in the asylum.
That she had been brought there by the four crooks.
That all the gang were in the asylum and that Dr. Scraggs was a close ally.
All this Isaac, of course, did not tell them in as many words.
But from his conversation these facts were easily gathered.
Altogether the Bradys were well satisfied with the progress of affairs.
They had all their birds located and but for the embargo of the storm they might easily have summoned officers and completed the arrest of their birds.
Napoleon Blood was safely hidden in the asylum.
Under ordinary circumstances there would have been scant chance of his being found.
But the Bradys were in luck.
Their foes, from dogging their footsteps with murderous intent, were now in the position of being dogged themselves.
The race for life which they had intended giving the detectives had been arrested by circumstances.
Altogether the odds were just now decidedly in the detectives’ favor.
But the Bradys were not disposed to spend their whole evening in the kitchen of the asylum.
There was other work for them to do.
19
Somewhere within the walls of the place the four conspirators were holding a meeting.
What that meeting was to decide the detectives could only guess.
But it was exceedingly important that they should know. This was their purpose.
So they did not waste much further time in the kitchen with the keeper.
Harry began to yawn.
“By gum, I’m awful sleepy,” he averred. “I reckon I’d like tew turn in. Ain’t it about time, mister?”
“So ye want to go to bed, do ye?” said Isaac, with a leer.
“Yas.”
“All right!”
The fellow trimmed the wick of an oil lamp and said:
“Follow me!”
The detectives shuffled along after the keeper up several flights of stairs and finally they passed through a narrow corridor with iron-barred doors on either side.
A distant wailing cry gave the detectives a chilly feeling along the spine. There is no more dreadful sound than the cry of a maniac.
“Here ye are,” said the keeper, throwing open one of the iron doors. “Ye’ll be good an’ quiet here, fer Old Hickory, the only madman on this floor, is asleep. Thar’s a good bed fer ye!”
The detectives passed into the little chamber.
As they looked about the place they suddenly heard a little click and a chuckle behind them.
Turning suddenly they were aghast at the sight which rewarded them.
The barred door was between them and the grinning keeper.
He had shut it and barred it.
They were prisoners.
Harry was the first to recover.
“Oh, I say, b’gosh! I don’t like thet kind of foolin’,” he said, angrily. “Open thet door, mister!”
“Will I?” leered the keeper. “Jest hold yer hat on till I do!”
“Are ye foolin’?”
“Does it look like it?”
“Gosh hang ye, let us out!”
“What for?”
“Come, we don’t like it!”
“Don’t ye? Wall, I’m sorry, but it’s orders, ye know!”
For a moment a horrible fear struck the Bradys.
Was it true?
Had they walked unwittingly into a trap?
Were the Tough Trio after all to be able to carry out their fearful threat of vengeance?
For a moment the thought made both detectives shiver.
They exchanged glances. Then Harry placed his hands on the iron bars of the door.
“Gol durn it, friend, this ain’t no joke!” he said, entreatingly. “Let us out an’ we’ll say no more!”
Isaac laughed demoniacally.
“Let ye out? Wall, what fer? When we git two as good patients as you we allus holds ’em. You’ll be worth something to your friends, likely.”
“Oh, ye think ye’ll get a ransom fer us, do ye?” asked Harry.
“Well, we oughter.”
“You won’t!”
“We’ll see!”
“I tell ye we’ve got no money nor friends. Let us out!”
“Ye live in Concord?”
“Yas.”
“What do ye do?”
“Work out fer a livin’.”
“I believe ye’re durned liars. This is the safest place fer ye to-night. To-morrow the boss kin decide what to do with ye. I hope as how ye’ll have pleasant dreams!”
And with this the fell............