ome information concerning the stone house, and later I will look
after the spy."

The man gave a grunt, and by that time they were out upon a side street
leading into Broadway or to the river.

"We will go there now," said Dick. "Some of the Liberty Boys are waiting
for me at the house and we can continue our investigations with your
assistance."

"Huh! you seem to think I am going to tell you all I know about the
place," 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 had
challenged them, their matches having burned out: Harry stumbled over
something on the floor and fell headlong, Sam falling on top of him. At
the same instant came a flash and a report, and the boys saw the man
about to make a dash for the door. Will lighted another match, and Harry
and Sam managed to scramble to their feet, but were not quick enough to
intercept the man, who made a sudden spring, dashed Will aside, and was
out into the passage.

"After him!" cried the boys in unison.

But that was a difficult matter, for the passage, like the room, was
cluttered with packages and bundles of various sizes. They could hear
the sound of his footsteps, but could catch no glimpse of him, nor could
they tell which way he had gone, for passages seemed to open on both
sides.

"H'm! I'm afraid we've lost him!" exclaimed Will, as they came to a
standstill in the dark. "I wish we had a better light than these matches
give. It's impossible to chase around here in the dark among all these
boxes 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 the
river side of the house.

"We might better conceal ourselves," whispered Will.

The three boys quickly drew to one side, and feeling a barrel standing
near the wall, one dropped behind it, while another hid behind a box,
and the other concealed himself in an angle of the wall. The sounds did
not proceed from the passage through which the three boys had just
passed, but from one on the right side, and seemed to come from more
than one person and who were trying to proceed quietly, evidently with
the intention of keeping their presence unknown as long as possible.

"They must be somewhere about here," they heard some one whisper. "We
must never let them get away."

Th