tter clear out. Our
connection should not be known. And don't go near London either. That
chap Morton has lost you once, but he'll not do it a second time. Go
and tramp the Peak District, or something of that kind. Then you'll be
wanted back in Hull on Saturday."

"What's that for?" both men exclaimed in a breath.

"That blessed barrel of yours. You say the Girondin will leave France on
Thursday night. That means she will be in the Humber on Sunday night or
Monday morning. Now you reckoned she would unload here and put the
faked props ashore and load up oil at Ferriby on her way out. But she
mightn't. She might go into Ferriby first. It would be the likely thing
to do, in fact, for then she'd get here with nothing suspicious aboard
and could unload everything. So I guess you'll have to watch in your
barrel on Sunday, and that means getting into it on Saturday night."

The two friends swore and Leatham laughed.

"Good heavens," Hilliard cried, "it means about four more nights of the
damned thing. From Saturday night to Sunday night for the arrival; maybe
until Monday night if she lies over to discharge the faked props on
Monday. Then another two nights or maybe three to cover her departure. I
tell you it's a tall order."

"But think of the prize," Leatham smiled maliciously. "As a matter of
fact I don't see any other way."

"There is no other way," Merriman declared with decision. "We may just
set our teeth and go through with it."

After further discussion it was arranged that the friends would leave
early next day for Harrogate. There Leatham would wire them on Friday
the result of his negotiations about the Girondin. They could then
return to Hull and get out their boat on Saturday should that be
necessary. When about midnight they turned in, Leatham was quite as keen
about the affair as his guests, and quite as anxious that their joint
experiment should be crowned with success.

The two friends spent a couple of lazy days amusing themselves in
Harrogate, until towards evening on the Friday Merriman was called to
the telephone.

"That'll be Leatham," he exclaimed. "Come on, Hilliard, and hear what he
has to say."

It was the mineowner speaking from his office.

"I've just rung up our friends," he told them, "and that business is all
right. There was some delay about it at first, for Benson--that's the
manager--was afraid he hadn't enough stock of props for current orders.
But on looking up his records he