Suffering all the terrors of a guilty conscience, increased by the terror of the inky darkness under such circumstances, Josh Owen tremblingly felt for his momentarily useless lantern. It took him some moments to find it. Even then his fingers shook so convulsively that it needed several trials before he got the light going.
By this time Jack and Hal were safely outside. More than that, Jack held in his hand the padlock of the door, with the false key in it.
"Why not slam the padlock shut over the door and lock him in there until we can get someone here?" whispered Hal Hastings.
By this time the two boys were hiding behind the corner of a nearby building.
"I thought of that," whispered Jack, "and I'd like to do it. But Owen has a fearful temper. If we locked him in there, and he knew he had to be caught, he'd do thousands of dollars' worth of damage. As it is, if you watch out, you'll soon see him quitting that shed and getting away as fast as he can."
Not more than a few seconds later Josh Owen appeared at the door of the shed. He shut off the light from his dark lantern, then stole swiftly towards the fence. Going up and over, he vanished from sight.
"Now, we'll lock the shed, take this false key to Mr. Andrews, and let him decide whether to rouse Mr. Pollard or Mr. Farnum," announced Jack Benson.
Grant Andrews, as soon as he was aroused at the boarding house, and had been made to understand, took the false key, saying:
"I'll go over to the hotel and call Dave Pollard. Then I'll do whatever he says."
The inventor was greatly excited over the news borne to him by the new foreman. Together they hurried to the Farnum yard, unlocked the door to the submarine's shed, entered and made a hasty examination.