hat it had been recently broken into. Passing it carelessly
Dick glanced into the nearest shed, which was almost full, though its
proximity to deep water indicated that supplies would be drawn from it
before the other. Feeling rather puzzled, he stopped in front of the next
shed and noted that there was much less coal in this. Moreover, a large
number of empty bags lay near the entrance, as if they had been used
recently and the storekeeper had not had time to put them away.

Two men were folding up the bags, but, by contrast with the glitter
outside, the shed was dark, and Dick's eyes were not accustomed to the
gloom. Still he thought one of the men was Oliva, the contractor whom
Stuyvesant had dismissed. Next moment the fellow turned and threw a
folded bag aside, after which he walked towards the other end of the
shed. His movements were leisurely, but he kept his back to Dick and the
latter thought this significant, although he was not sure the man had
seen him.

As he did not want to be seen loitering about the sheds, he walked on,
feeling puzzled. Since he did not know what stock the company had held,
it was difficult to tell if coal had recently been shipped, but he
imagined that some must have left the wharf after the collier had
unloaded. He was used to calculating weights and cubic quantities, and
the sheds were not large. Taking it for granted that the vessel had
landed one thousand five hundred tons, he thought there ought to be more
about than he could see. Still, if some had been shipped, he could not
understand why it had been taken, at a greater cost for labor, from the
last shed, where one would expect the company to keep their reserve
supply. He might, perhaps, find out something from the manager, but this
would need tact.

Entering the small, hot office, he found a suave Spanish gentleman whom
he had already met. The latter greeted him politely and gave him a cigar.

"It is not often you leave the works, but a change is good," he said.

"We're not quite so busy and I promised to pay Allen at the sugar mill a
visit," Dick replied. "Besides, I had an excuse for the trip. We're short
of some engine stores that I dare say you can let us have."

He gave the manager a list, and the Spaniard nodded as he marked the
items.

"We can send you most of the things. It pays us to stock goods that the
engineers of the ships we coal often want; but there are some we have not
got."

"Very well," said Dick. "I'