Nick, with a bound, was beside him and, striking him heavily with the butt of his pistol on the head, knocked him clean over. At the same moment he called to Ida to guard Mrs. Ladew in the coach.
Driscoll, who was in the courtyard to receive the carriage, seeing the attack on Lannigan, rushed forward, but was met by Patsy, who hit him squarely in the face, but not until Driscoll had recognized Nick Carter and cried out his name.
Though he had fallen under the force of Patsy’s blow, he picked himself up and took to his heels without waiting for anything further to occur.
Under the lead of Nick, Chick and Patsy rushed to the winding stairs and reached the bridge before an alarm had been given to any of the others.
Who they were to meet they had little idea, but Chick thought they would have to encounter not less than six.
As they entered that rear building from the bridge they met a man whom Nick concluded at once was the man Clowes and, without waiting for any act upon that man’s part, he sprang forward and struck him a terrific blow in the face which toppled him over.
“Take care of that man, Patsy,” cried Nick.
He dashed along the hallway, closely followed by Chick.
Patsy stopped to look at the man and saw at a glance that he was unconscious. He called after Nick:
“You’ve done that already. I couldn’t take better care of him if I was to hit him with a sledge-hammer.”