But at that juncture the pursued ones dashed through an open window of a deserted building which flanked the river.
"Dere dey go! De cheap sluggers!" exclaimed Jerry.
Leaping across the street, he reached the window only a moment after the last of the four had slammed it down.
But the men had paused long enough to throw the catch. It took Jerry a full minute to break its grip.
When, at last, they vaulted cautiously over the sill and flashed their light about the interior, they found the place empty.
"Dey's flew de coop!" whispered Jerry. "Now wot's de chanst of dem makin' a clean git away?"
They made a hurried examination of all possible exits. All the window ledges and doorsills were so encrusted with dust that one passing through them would be sure to leave his mark. That is, all but one were. One windowsill had apparently been swept clean. But that window faced the river. As they threw it up, and looked down from its ledge, they saw only the murky waters of the river swirling beneath them.
Johnny studied the situation carefully, and the more he studied, the more baffled he became. If a boat had been tied to the windowsill there would have been marks on the casing. There were no such marks; yet, the fugitives had gone that way. He thought of the shots fired from the river the previous night and tried to connect the two. He could not make it out.
"Dey's gone!" said Jerry the Rat. "Did dey fleece y'?"
Johnny smiled. "They were trying to croak me, Jerry, and they nearly did it. Got a bump on my head big as a turkey buzzard's egg."