o the corner, he peered about in the
direction of the barn.

Leaning in the doorway, smoking, and most fortunately, with his back
towards the house, was the Italian, Tomaso. Beyond doubt the foreman was
inside!

At the rear of the barn, and some hundred feet from where Alex stood, was
a small cow-stable. Alex determined to make an effort to reach it, and
see if from there he could not get, unseen, into the barn itself.

The Italian continued to smoke peacefully, and with his eyes constantly
on him Alex stepped forth, and set off across the clearing on tiptoe. The
guard puffed on, and he neared the stable. Then suddenly the man moved,
and made as though to turn. But with a bound Alex shot forward on the
run, made the remaining distance, and was out of view.

The rear door of the stable was open. On tiptoe Alex made his way inside.
The door leading into the barn also was ajar. With bated breath, pausing
after each step, Alex went forward, reached it, and peered within.

Yes, the foreman was there, a dim figure sitting on the floor a few feet
from him. But the outer doorway, in which stood the man on guard, also
was only a few feet away, and at once Alex saw that the problem of
reaching the foreman without being discovered was to be a difficult one.
Trusting to the now gathering gloom of the twilight, however, Alex
determined to make a try. Opening his knife and holding it in his teeth,
he sank to the floor, and began slowly worming his way forward, flat on
his stomach. It was a nerve-trying ordeal. A dozen times he was sure the
crackling straw had betrayed him. But pluckily he kept on, inch by inch,
and finally was almost within touch of the unsuspecting prisoner.

Then very softly he hissed. Sharply, as he had feared, the foreman
twisted about. But at the moment, by great good luck, the foreigner at
the door turned to knock his pipe against the door-post, and hurriedly
Alex whispered, "Don't move, Mr. Hennessy! It's Alex Ward! I was in the
old house, and saw them bring you up.

"And, Mr. Hennessy, they plan to run Twenty into the river to-night. Tony
told them there were strike-breakers aboard her to take their places."

In spite of himself the foreman uttered a low exclamation. At once the
man in the door turned. But with quick presence of mind the prisoner
changed the exclamation to a loud cough, and after a moment, while Alex
lay holding his breath, the Italian turned his attention again to his
pipe.

"Now I