Pat and Pete stayed until the last member of their gang had reached safety. Hastily, they slammed down the door of the coal chute.
At that moment, from overhead, came the faint tap-tap-tap of the church bell. It was a muted sound but one which could not have been caused by the light breeze which was blowing.
“Hear that?” Pat muttered fearfully. “I’m getting away from this place—fast!”
He fled, leaving Pete to bound after him. In another moment, Dan and Brad were the only two left in the churchyard.
“What d’you know?” Brad chuckled, recovering from the rapidity of the flight.
“We lost our chance to trap ’em inside the building,” Dan said regretfully, returning to stand beside the Den Chief at the coal chute opening. “What do you suppose happened in there?”
“I wish I knew. Want to go inside and find out?”
“Say, are you kidding?”
“Sure, I am,” Brad chuckled. “You couldn’t drag me into that building tonight. All the same, I’m mighty curious. Pat and his boys must have seen or heard something that completely unnerved them.”
“Pat’s no coward either.”