one, tapped the walls, and searched every drawer; then, taking
a lantern, went out into the stable. The officers were both accustomed
to look for hiding places, and ran their hands along on the top of the
walls, examining the stone flooring and manger.

"That is a very large corn bin," Mark said, as he looked round, when
they desisted from the search.

"You are right, sir. We will empty it."

There were two or three empty sacks on the ground near it, and they
emptied the corn into these, so that there should be no litter about.
Chester gave an exclamation of disappointment as they reached the
bottom. Mark put his hand on the bin and gave it a pull.

"It is just as I thought," he said. "It is fastened down. I saw an ax in
the woodshed, Malcolm; just fetch it here."

While the man was away Mark took the lantern and examined the bottom
closely. "We shan't want the ax," he said, as he pointed out to Chester
a piece of string that was apparently jammed in the form of a loop
between the bottom and side. "Just get in and clear those few handfuls
of corn out. I think you will see that it will pull up then."

There was, however, no movement in the bottom when Mark pulled at the
loop.

"Look closely round outside," he said, handing Malcolm, who had
now returned, the lantern. "I have no doubt that there is a catch
somewhere."

In a minute or two the constable found a small ring between two of the
cobblestones close to the foot of the wall. He pulled at it, and as
he did so Mark felt the resistance to his pull cease suddenly, and the
bottom of the bin came up like a trapdoor.

"That is a clever hiding place," he said. "If I had not happened to
notice that the bin was fixed we might have had a long search before we
found it here."

Below was a square hole, the size of the bin; a ladder led down into it.
Mark, with a lantern, descended. Four or five sacks piled on each other
lay at the bottom, leaving just room enough for a man to stand beside
them.

"The top one is silver by the feel," he said, "not yet broken up; these
smaller sacks are solid. I suppose it is silver that has been melted
down. This--" and he lifted a bag some eighteen inches deep, opened it,
and looked in "--contains watches and jewels. Now I think we will leave
things here for the present, and put everything straight. He may be back
before long."

Mark ascended, the bottom of the trap was shut down again, the corn
poured in, and the bags thrown down