“Yes, the risk is too great!” he said. “And I’ve let you take too many risks already. We’d better go back to town.”
Having arrived at this decision, they moved slowly across the grass of the yard, heading toward the bushes that flanked the lane. The great bulk of the old stone house loomed heavily and darkly in the night.
Then, suddenly, they heard a harsh sound that struck terror into their hearts—the clatter of the trapdoor being raised!
CHAPTER XXII
Into the Haunted House
A hoarse shout came through the darkness.
“Chief! Redhead! They’ve got away. Watch for ’em!”
Some one was scrambling through the opening in the shed, bellowing in a frantic voice, warning the other smugglers of the escape.
“Into the house!” snapped Fenton Hardy. He began to run swiftly across the yard toward the big gloomy house. Frank and Joe followed.
The man in the shed saw the moving figures.