“If they’ve got him here anywhere they’re keeping mighty quiet about it,” Bob whispered, as they stood once more beside the office. “I’m going to have a look in here,” he declared as he tried the door.
It was locked, as he had expected it would be, but at the back they found a small window which was not fastened.
“You keep watch outside here, Jacques, while I see what I can find inside,” Bob proposed as he carefully pushed up the window.
He did not know whether or not anyone slept in the office, and at the moment, being greatly upset over Jack’s disappearance, he felt that he did not care much.
“You better watch, let me geet in,” Jacques whispered, taking hold of the boy’s arm. “Mebby someone sleep in thar. He geet you. I ver’ strong, he no geet me.”
“That’s all right,” Bob returned, “but you can never get those shoulders of yours through that window. It’s too small.”
Bob was right, although Jacques would not be convinced until he had tried. It was a very tight squeeze for Bob, but after much twisting and squirming he finally got through and dropped lightly to the floor. Throwing the light of his flash about him, he saw that he was in a small room fitted up much the same as his father’s office. To the right was a door leading into another room which, from the size of the building, he judged must be somewhat larger than the one he was in. The door was closed, but opened easily as he turned the knob. Throwing the rays of his flash ahead of him he saw that it had been used as a sleeping room, for on the farther side was a fair sized bed which, from the rumpled appearance of the bedding, had been occupied not long since.
Slowly, inch by inch, he pushed open the door and stepped into the room.
“I guess there’s no—” but that was as far as he got, for at that moment he heard a slight sound from behind the door.
He started to turn, but before he could get his flashlight around he was struck a heavy blow on the back of his head. He struggled to keep his feet but, in spite of his efforts, he felt himself sinking to the floor. A myriad of stars flashed before his eyes for an instant, then oblivion.