y that time you will have been hanged as a spy and a thief and
will know nothing about it," replied Dick.

"H'm! Hughson got away and so will I," boastfully.

"I shall see to it that you do not," shortly.

Having finished the examination of the stone house, Dick took Pike to
the general's headquarters and turned him over, the man being put under
guard at once and some men sent to watch the place. Hughson had escaped
through the negligence of a fresh recruit, who had not understood the
importance of his prisoner, and had supposed him to be simply a man who
had been locked up for insubordination and was sorry for it, Hughson
carrying the thing through cleverly.

"The man will be more careful the next time, having been so close to
punishment," thought Dick, "and knowing that we are in earnest and will
show him no mercy."

Dick went one way and Bob another, both in disguise, for the very sight
of a Continental uniform would frighten the man now and put him on his
guard. Dick made his way along the wharves on both rivers, keeping a
lookout for the man, but without success, seeing many suspicious
characters, but none whom he knew to be spies. Having settled the
business, he went to the camp, where he found the girls and Sarah
Watrous being entertained by the Liberty Boys.

After dinner the girls returned alone, Dick being busy looking for signs
of the enemy along shore, and going around the city in disguise
searching for the spy, who he believed would try to learn more about the
disposition of the troops on the island, the forts, the amount of
supplies, the roads and other matters of importance. It was getting on
toward evening, and Dick was over on the East River side of the city,
when he saw a boy of about fourteen being abused by an evil-looking man.

"What are you striking that boy for?" he asked, stepping up and putting
the boy behind him.

"I got a right to abuse him, he's mine!" snarled the other. "The
ungrateful hound won't do things for his own dad."

"Is this man your father?" Dick asked.

"Yes, he is, but I don't want to give him the money I earn to buy drink
with, for then he abuses mother and the little children and---"

"Haven't I got a right to the money he makes?" growled the man.

"Not to misuse," retorted Dick quickly. "The boy is right in protecting
his mother, and if he can do it by withholding money to be used in
buying strong drink which takes away your reason, he has a right to do
so. Why