by Harry Moore
and ask what shouldbe done. Some of the boys remained on the bank above, and some on thewharf and near the lower door. They found a passage under the wharf, andthen another dug through the earth, and leading to a door evidently inthe stone house under the bank and back of the wharf.
"These fellows are regular smugglers as well as thieves!" exclaimedHarry. "This is an important discovery. They use this place to take instolen goods when they are afraid to take them in any other, I guess."
"See if the door is locked," suggested Sam.
Then he and Harry tried it, and found that it was not fastened, butopened readily when they lifted the latch.
"Hallo! Who is there?" cried a gruff voice, as they advanced.
"Here's one of the rascals! Catch him!" cried Harry.
CHAPTER V.--An Important Capture.
Dick and Bob set out upon their horses for the general's quarters, andupon reaching Broadway met the girls coming along on horseback.
"I am afraid we cannot give you much attention now, girls," said Dick."We are going to the general's quarters, and then to rout out thethieves, who make a rendezvous of the stone house and I think we shallbe very busy for sometime."
"You might go up to the camp and cheer Patsy's heart by a visit,"laughed Bob. "He is fond of the girls."
"You want us to get the poor boy in trouble, I see," said Alice. "Youwould get so jealous that Patsy would have no peace."
"You know what Carl says when he disagrees with any one, don't you,Sis?" asked Bob, with a sly wink.
"Come, my dear," replied Alice. "I think we shall be able to do withouttheir company for a time. We ought to be resourceful enough for that."
"But, Alice, brother and Bob have business to attend to, and---"
"And you are a dear little matter of face goose and can't see a joke,"laughed Alice. "You would spoil both those boys, but it needs me to putthem in the right place."
Then the girls rode away toward the camp, while the boys went on to thegeneral's. The veteran listened to Dick, and said:
"By all means break into the place and make a thorough investigation,Captain. If there is any complaint, say that I gave you full authorityto act. There is something very about the whole affair, and I do notbelieve that the place is used for honest purposes."
"Nor we, General, but we wanted your authority before we proceeded tovigorous measures."
"Well, you have it now, Captain," said the general, who was wellacquainted with Dick, Bob and many of the Liberty Boys.
They left the place, jumped into the saddle, were going up toward theCommons when, as they neared the head of Maiden Lane, they suddenlyheard a sharp cry, and saw a young girl in a chaise come dashing towardthem at a terrific pace, the horse having taken fright at something andbeing now beyond the girl's control.
"Quick, Bob!" cried Dick. "We must save her!"
"Why, it's Sarah Watrous," said Bob, that being the name of the girls'friend whom the boys had seen the night before.
The boys dashed forward, one on each side the chaise, Dick dismountingand catching of the bridle, throwing himself backward and checking theanimal's speed. Bob reached out at the same time and did what he couldto stop horse, the two boys between them succeeding in checking him in ashort time.
"Oh, I am so glad you came!" gasped the girl who seemed nearly ready toswoon. "I don't know what I should have done without you. He never ranaway before and I didn't know what do."
"What started him up, Miss Watrous?" asked Dick, stroking the horse andgetting him into calmer mood.
"I am sure I don't know. I have been before and he never acted in thisfashion."
"Who harnessed him?" asked Bob, looking the horse.
"Why, I did. The boy was busy and I couldn't wait, so I did it myself.Why shouldn't I do things for myself instead of being always dependentupon others?"
"That is all right in theory," laughed Bob, "but you have not done itright, and the horse has been chafed and annoyed, and has finally triedto get out of it and has run away. You had better let me fix things."
"Well, I declare!" exclaimed the girl. "And I thought I could do mostanything!"
Just then Dick caught sight of one of the men he had seen the nightbefore going down Broadway, and he said to Bob in a low tone:
"Look after the young lady, Bob. There is one of those ruffians. TakeMajor up with you when you get through."
Then he went away at not too rapid a walk and followed the man he hadseen, observing him go into a tavern on the other side of the street andjust below the corner.
"Not a very reputable place," he said to himself, "but I think I am safeenough."
Entering the place, he saw the man he had followed sitting in a cornertalking to a man who, if he was not greatly mistaken, was the chief ofthe two spies he had captured the day before and had turned over toGeneral Putnam. The man recognized him, and hastily arose, and Dick knewthat he was not mistaken, although how he should have escaped was apuzzle to him.
"Stop that man! He is a spy of the British!" he cried. "And the man withhim is a thief!"
"Better not talk too loud in this place, you saucy young rebel!" growledthe landlord, coming forward. "All my customers are respectable persons,and if you don't like 'em, your room is preferable to your company."
From the black looks cast at him, Dick saw that he was likely to getinto trouble, the patrons of the place being evidently persons of shadycharacter and Tories. He pushed forward, nevertheless, and, suddenlydrawing a pistol, said in a very determined manner:
"If you attempt to stop me you do it at your own risk. One of those menis an enemy to the country and the other an enemy to society, and Ipurpose to arrest them both."
"Run, Hughson!" muttered the thief. "I'll fix the young rebel. He threwme downstairs last night, and---"
Dick sprang upon the table, leaped to the floor, seized the thief by thecollar and dragged him to the door, and then, turning upon the men inthe place, said:
"If any one attempts to follow he will get hurt, so I advise you toremain where you are!"
Then, dragging the man out of the door, he said:
"The spy can wait. I have got you and you will have to give an accountof yourself. Keep quiet, or I will hand you over to the bailiffs atonce. You must know by this time that I am a boy of considerabledetermination."
They were in the alley by this time, and Dick, with his hand on theman's collar, continued:
"Will you go along quietly or shall I call a constable?"
"H'm! you've got more pluck than a dozen constables!" the fellowgrowled. "Oh, I'll go along with you, 'cause you've got the best o' me.You didn't get Hughson, anyhow. How did you know I was with him?"
"I did not, but I knew you and was determined to have you. You can giveme some information concerning the stone house, and later I will lookafter the spy."
The man gave a grunt, and by that time they were out upon a side streetleading into Broadway or to the river.
"We will go there now," said Dick. "Some of the Liberty Boys are waitingfor me at the house and we can continue our investigations with yourassistance."
"Huh! you seem to think I am going to tell you all I know about theplace," muttered the man. "S'pose I don't?"
"Then you will get into worse trouble," shortly.
It was dark in the room, so the boys could not see the man who hadchallenged them, their matches having burned out: Harry stumbled oversomething on the floor and fell headlong, Sam falling on top of him. Atthe same instant came a flash and a report, and the boys saw the manabout to make a dash for the door. Will lighted another match, and Harryand Sam managed to scramble to their feet, but were not quick enough tointercept the man, who made a sudden spring, dashed Will aside, and wasout into the passage.
"After him!" cried the boys in unison.
But that was a difficult matter, for the passage, like the room, wascluttered with packages and bundles of various sizes. They could hearthe sound of his footsteps, but could catch no glimpse of him, nor couldthey tel
l which way he had gone, for passages seemed to open on bothsides.
"H'm! I'm afraid we've lost him!" exclaimed Will, as they came to astandstill in the dark. "I wish we had a better light than these matchesgive. It's impossible to chase around here in the dark among all theseboxes and packages, and with passages leading every which way."
"Listen!" exclaimed Harry. "There's some one coming this way."
There was the sound of more than one man coming toward them from theriver side of the house.
"We might
