. "He's an escaped criminal, and it's up to us to
tell the police all we know about him."

"I only wish we knew more to tell," said Joe disconsolately.

Since they had been flung through the trap door, Joe had called himself
every unpleasant name he could think of for his carelessness. If he had
stayed at the door where he belonged, there would have been one of them
left to grapple with Dan Cassey. Probably the two men who had been with
Cassey when they had surprised him had not been anywhere around. They
belonged to the type of criminal that always thinks of its own safety
first. Probably they had not been anywhere near the barn. And if it had
been only Dan Cassey and himself, well, he, Joe, could at least have
given the scoundrel a black eye--maybe captured him.

He said something of this to his chums, but they laughed at him.

"Stop your grouching," said Bob. "Haven't we already agreed that there's
no use crying over spilled milk? And, anyway, you just watch out. We'll
get Cassey yet."

As soon as the boys reached town they went straight to the police
station and told the story of their encounter with Cassey to the
grizzled old chief, who nodded his head grimly and thanked them for the
information.

"I'll send some men out right away," he told them. "If there's a
criminal in those woods, they're sure to get him before dark. It's too
bad you lads couldn't have got him yourselves. It would sure have been a
feather in your caps!"

"Why doesn't he rub it in?" grumbled Joe, as they turned at last toward
home and dinner. "He ought to know we feel mad enough about it."

"Well," said Bob, "if the police round him up, because of our
information, it will be almost as good as though we'd caught him
ourselves. I wouldn't," he added, with a glint in his eye, "exactly like
to be in Cassey's shoes, now."

CHAPTER XIII

CUNNING SCOUNDRELS

But, contrary to the expectations of the radio boys, the police were not
able to locate Cassey nor any of the rest of the gang. They searched the
woods for miles around the old barn about which the boys had told them,
even carrying their search into the neighboring townships, but without
any result. It seemed as though the earth had opened and swallowed up
Cassey together with his rascally companions. If such a thing had
actually happened, their disappearance could not have been more
complete.

"They must be experts in the art of hiding," grumbled Bob, upon
returning from a