So Ho Hum, the Chief of Police, and a number of his officers strapped on their roller skates and with Dong hurried off to the boat where the Second Story Brothers were just recovering from the effects of the stolen pies and cakes. And very pale and miserable they looked sitting against the cabin wall when the police burst in and confronted them. "Surrender!" shouted Ho Hum. "Quick!" cried Dong, "take their fans from them or it will be the worse for you." Ho Hum, the Chief of Police, scowled. "See here, boy," he said, "are you the Chief of Police or am I? The idea of telling me what to do! Why, I was arresting folks before you were born." "But," began Dong, "won't you please listen, I--" "No," bawled the Chief of Police. "Good for you, old sleepy head," shouted the Second Story Brothers. Then they leaped to their feet, gave three waves of their three fans, and pish!--Ho Hum and all of his officers disappeared. "Now," said Sin Sum, grinning wickedly as he turned to Dong, "we'll attend to you, my son. We'll teach you how to go off and tell the police about us." "Shall we fan him into nothing?" asked Sin Sum Tu and Sin Sum Wen. "Not yet," replied Sin Sum, "not until I've laid him across my knee for about five minutes and given him something to remember me by." With that he made a rush for Dong, but Dong, half scared out of his wits, dived under the table, then behind the chairs here and there like a squirrel, and Sin Sum, who was fat and short winded, could not catch him. Then his two brothers joined in, but they were even fatter, and besides the pies and cakes they had just stuffed had left them in no condition to run a race, so do what they would they could not catch the boy. And Dong, seeing that they could not, began to grow bolder, and presently, as Sin Sum made a violent grab at him he also made a grab at Sin Sum and snatched his fan and his book from his sash. Then like lightning he turned and whipped the fan open, gave three quick sweeps with it at the robbers, and pish!--they disappeared as neatly as the police had, and Dong was left the sole occupant of the cabin. [Illustration: He turned and whipped the fan open] "Gee whiz!" he exclaimed, all out of breath, but nevertheless highly pleased with himself, "I did for them that time." Then he opened Sin Sum's producing book, found the page where it said "police" required four raps, and rapping the palm of his hand four times, Ho Hum and his officers appeared once more, looking rather pale and nervous after their strange experience. "Well," said Dong to the Chief, "I guess you wish you had done as I told you and taken the fans away from those robbers." Ho Hum rolled his eyes. "Don't say a word," he replied. "I feel like arresting myself, missing such a fine chance to capture the Second Story Brothers. Dear me, I'm afraid I'll never catch them now." "Oh, yes, you will," said Dong. "Just you watch."