did from ten till twelve," answered Joe Slivers; "and I am sure no
boat went out of the cove during that time."

"And who from twelve till two?" continued the general.

No one answered.

"Who was it--don't you know?" demanded Vallington, sternly.

"I know," replied Ben Lyons. "It was Carl Dorner, for I had the north
station at the same time."

"Carl Dorner!" exclaimed Bob Hale. "He was one of the Poodles party."

"That accounts for it," added Vallington. "Who had the east station
from twelve till two?"

"Mat Murray," replied Slivers.

"He's another of the Poodles tribe," added Bob. "It's as clear as mud
now. We put traitors on guard, and we are sold out."

"Ben Lyons, you had the north station from twelve till two," continued
the general.

"I did; but I was nearly half a mile from the cove," replied the
sentinel.

"And Carl Dorner and Mat Murray had the east and south stations at the
same time."

"They did."

"Who called the fellows that were to relieve you?"

"I did," answered Lyons.

"Didn't you miss Dorner and Murray?"

"I didn't notice them; but I did see the three fellows who went on
guard at two o'clock. They started for their stations, and I turned
in, without thinking anything about Dorner and Murray."

It further appeared that the two traitors had used some "shuffling" to
obtain the east and south stations. It was evident now that the
conspirators had executed their plan shortly after midnight, while
their associates were on guard at the two posts where their operations
could be seen or heard. The south station was on a point of land which
commanded a full view of the cove where the boats lay. From the east
station the lake in the direction of Parkville and Cannondale could be
seen. From the north station, which was considerably farther west
than either of the other posts, nothing could be seen on the south
side of the island.

If the conspirators had gone to the eastward with the boats, they
could easily have kept out of sight of the sentinel at the north
station--the only true one on duty when the mischief was done--by
hugging the main south shore of the lake. If they had gone to the
westward, or farther away from Parkville,--which was not likely,--they
could not have been seen by Ben Lyons till they had gone at least a
mile.

In the mud at the bottom of the cove we found a pole sticking up,
which the traitors had probably used in pushing the scow out into the
lake. This showed us