He saluted as before, to Constable Timmons' undisguised wonder, and then said in precise tones:
"There is no trace of the men you sent for, sir."
"What!" demanded the officer.
"They were last seen leaving the grounds in an automobile, sir."
"Good heavens! This is confirmation, indeed, of their guilt," said the officer. "Were they alone?"
"No, sir. The car was driven by a person some of the men recognized as a wandering photographer who has been around the grounds for some days, sir."
"Herr Muller!" exclaimed Ned, forgetting all discipline. "I know now why the third man seemed so familiar. I—I beg your pardon, sir, but——"
"That's all right, Strong," said the officer. "Constable, you can rely on the department cooperating with you in every way to capture these men. I can't conceive how the photographer Muller fits into the matter, but if they can be arrested we shall soon find out."
But, despite the officer's hopes of capturing the gang that had made so much trouble for Ned and Herc, they managed to conceal their traces cleverly enough to avoid arrest. The automobile in which they had taken flight—and which had been hired from a local garage—was found abandoned near a small wayside station, where they might have boarded a train for some distant point. As for the presence of the automobile, it was assumed that Herr Muller had visited the abandoned asylum early that day and discovered that the prisoners had escaped. Realizing that he must act quickly, he had evidently set out at once to warn Chance and Merritt. Incidentally, it was found out that Muller, on account of his anarchistic tendencies, had once been confined in the abandoned asylum, before its condemnation, which accounted for his familiarity with it. He had been discharged as "harmless" some time before.
"Humph! He's about as harmless as a rattlesnake!" grunted Herc, when he heard of this.